The Flowers, the Lone Gardener, and His Wife
by Di-Fuku MoChiin
Summary: Their wedding night revealed more than what meets the eye: his knowledge of flowers, a poetic side, and some newfound manners.
1. Prelude - White Lily

**Prelude**

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto. All rights pertaining to Naruto belong to Masashi Kishimoto... because if I did, there would've been lots of SasuHina moments!

WARNING: This story is **rated M** for mature content also known as TERRIBLE LEMONS.

Hinata fiddled with her fingernails, her hands clasped together. She sat on the futon, nervous with her legs tucked underneath. The faint creases on her yukata rouses a compulsion and her hand slid over the fabric. As her anticipation grew becoming overbearing, she repeated the gesture, running her fingers along the collar to make it crisp and neat.

It was the night after her wedding.

Her groom's feet brushed along the tatami mat and her breath quickened. The night fell darker and behind the paper doors, they are separated from the world. Inside the room, her breath becomes his breath, and the crickets, sounding sharp in warm summer monotone bade Sasuke to rush forward and begin at once. He settled on the futon, an arms length from where she was with the customary white lily in his hand. Hinata unconsciously drew more breath and her heartbeat intensified.

"You alright?" Sasuke asked, his voice solemn, almost veiling something within.

Hinata felt heat rising in her cheeks. They couldn't even look at each other during the dinner banquet and to think that something like this is actually happening. Feelings ran through her gut—something like fear mixed with embarrassment.

"I-I am quite alright, Sasuke-kun," she replied, his name failing to a whisper.

He looked at her and she lowered her eyes to the futon. For the months they've come to be acquainted, she knew him to be a calculated man, rhythm in the movement of his arms, his back always dignified, and his eyes never a wasted intention. If he's keen on proving his point, they're shockingly stark and straightforward, contrasting how he often set his gaze far and deep inside his own mysterious mind.

"Let's go to sleep. Turn off the lights if you want." He grabbed her hand to put the white lily there and proceeded quietly under the blankets, turned away from her.

It took a while to process but when she didn't see him move, disappointment slowly sank in. Ever since becoming of age, the duties of a Hyuuga woman in marriage have become apparent to Hinata. Not that she's eager about it but the night following the wedding ceremony comes with expectations in the Hyuuga Clan. With their marriage, those expectations take form in an Uchiha heir that Hyuuga elders will be watching closely with impatience.

She anxiously bit her thumb at the thought of them asking by morning.

Her affections were raised towards Naruto but when he suddenly got together with Sakura with mixed reactions from their circle, she never thought about anybody then. While he rebelled against fate, she meekly obliged it. She almost succumbed to a passive reticence that nothing she wanted will be hers, not even spending the last of her days in Konoha should she be offered to suitors coming from outside the borders.

That was until Uchiha Sasuke asked for her hand in marriage. It was sudden but every authority in the family had consented. Affections can be learned, they said. He wasn't lacking nor wanting anything besides a family and she came to think of him as future husband with befuddlement. In a rational perspective, her clan has merits. On the other hand, he was never the sort to be bothered. But he was even compliant to every order her father made. If he didn't like her for whatsoever reason, he wouldn't have invested a large portion of Uchiha property to the Hyuuga Family under vague stipulations.

It was Sasuke's volition and perseverance that led them to this point, but when it comes to this, did she present so undesirably he chose not to bed her after he scrutinized?

Feeling morose, she looked at the lily in her hand. Her legs creaked as she reached for the string to turn off the ceiling light. In turn, the red night light subtly glowed against the dark. She gently placed the lily on the mat as she lay.

If she was a flower, maybe she wouldn't know about it—the bitterness sewn on her chest.

つづく


	2. I

Sasuke's eyes fluttered open. He wasn't asleep in the first place. How could he? After for so long, Hinata is now beside him—her heat, the sound of air passing her nostrils, the life inside her chest. An unfamiliar fire torched his arms as she sat there waiting for him. Waiting for him to take her.

In the deep creases of the rarely explored part of his mind, he reveled at the thought of her pure white yukata and the flesh concealed within—the blush that ran across her pretty cheeks, staining pink on her porcelain skin—how far does it go? He saw it down her neck and maybe down her collarbones and breasts. Her pink lips seemed like an edible parting and her voice, the air in spaces, her throat.

Blood rushed through his surface but must he really take her?

His father-in-law informed that traditions indicate for elders to insist on a proof and Hinata will be humiliated as a new wife without it. Sasuke found himself in a dilemma because her pale eyes kept down, never meeting his gaze.

 _She is scared_.

After all, the pursuit of power led him to a regressed, degenerate state. He has become nothing more than a hollow vessel; a bottomless pit of oblivion.

He is good as dead.

But she is a pulse; a hope of life like a lingering thread of gleam in darkness.

His love for her was nostalgia—a fantasy of reality built upon his imagination. But how could he not? She has always been the fairest and purest. When they were young he noticed when she blushed and when her small rosy fingers fiddled. Sometimes he was drawn to the new bruises in her hands and the gloss of sweat at the tip of her nose. He knew she kept her pencils with their leads in one direction inside her case and how she bashfully smiled after shortly talking with Naruto.

It may have started earlier but a clear point from Sasuke's memory was when little Hinata shared her harvested tomatoes with everyone in class. When she gave him one, her lips pursed a pretty little smile. The tomatoes were red like blood but in her hands they were taintless, warm and still. From her eyes, life poured out without asking for anything in return. While he was a concealment, a fortress built to tower the sky, she was an orchard, a garden full of bounty that would not withhold—a portrait of the perfect world.

Her eyes always followed Naruto, always meek, loyal, and caring. He coveted her affections but that, in itself, didn't make sense. He desired her but it was never reaching.

He never meant for it to reach her.

There was hate and the feelings he had for her was an aberration he could not comprehend. It was a struggle; a tempest growing stronger by the day. It was uncontrollable, unneeded. He should not be weak. He should be better, invulnerable. But just hearing her call his name in timid resolution was enough to make his senses flare and falter with incoherent excitement. Even when he was hell-bent on revenge, his unrequited turmoil of a love—if it ever was love—fueled his rage like loose, uncontained electricity.

It destroyed everything in the way, except her.

She doesn't know but when the suffering became larger than life, he would imagine her with him. It wasn't to be at first, but he saw her while his mind played ghastly hallucinations under Orochimaru's tortuous tutelage. Hers was the only countenance that brought peace to the tremors.

He would hear her breathe and her loving fingertips would gently ruffle his hair. She would sit there and quietly listen. Her eyes would plead as he went after things against what she stood for, and he always answered, "You never cared." He wanted her to say she does and then she would embrace him. He tells her shut up and she would never let go. She would hold his hand when silent tears expressed his crushed, broken soul.

It was becoming _real_ to him.

She was nothing more than a temporary indulgence in solace, a leakage of his dire tender sentiments, until the mere mirage of her smile brought him to surrender. He thought he was mad. Maybe he really is and has been for a very long time. But now, she is here at last, with her long dark hair and womanly frame. Not the imaginary Hinata who held his hand while he bitterly wept. And she is his wife. Not just the Hyuuga who tampered with his estranged sensibilities as she stood amidst the sullen battlefield, the dreary aftermath, like a white lily ascending from the mire.

He decided he won't touch her but what is this restlessness pounding on his chest, gathering under his tongue. And he was becoming more aware what she smelled like, his elbow encroaching the invisible barrier between them burning at the heat of her presence. He gulped as the brief thought of biting her crossed his mind. No, not for chakra, but just the feeling of pulling his teeth over her creamy skin. He gulped again and his fingers twitched at the passing thought of touching her.

The room was becoming hotter and he kicked his part of the blanket, rising from the bed. He caught a glimpse of her sleeping face and the sound of her breathing blew close his ear.

No, he will not touch her. He'll fake the evidence and smear his blood on the sheets in the morning.

Facing her back, he could clearly smell it then—the scent of her hair. He closed his eyes, soaking his lungs with the lush scent of lavenders and his jaws convulsed at the sweetness. He slowly reached for the strands of her hair, right at the tip—she won't know. He relished the feeling between his fingertips, becoming more unsatisfied. He probed deeper, closer to her scalp, just slightly then wishing for more.

When his fingers made contact, he burned, her stronger flowery scent addling his better judgement. A delicious swell stirred below saying just a small, small surreptitious caress. Harmless. Secret. He moved a little closer, shifting with a thief's caution, his lips ghosting a kiss over her head.

 _More._

As he looked down at her through seemingly indolent eyes, he thought about how one so beautiful and soft and delicate as Hinata is the core of the Earth—it's source of gravitation—always pulling him near that even when he wanted to be far from Konoha and Naruto and Sakura and Kakashi, far from the Uchiha domain, he'd always end up near her but could never really touch her or scorch her with his fire.

He reach out to caress her face and stopped—he should not do it after all. But even just for a little bit, he wanted to feel her, the reality of her.

Slowly, he fished for the white lily on the tatami mat, his fingers deft in their movement.

With the white flower in hand, the petal caressed, running slow and languid down Hinata's petite nose. The petal touched her luscious lips and Sasuke let the pure delicate blade linger on the soft and smooth-textured divide, flames trickling through his body as he did so.

Sasuke broke his previous resolve.

He leaned down to kiss her. A soft whimper escaped his throat.

It drove him crazy. The white flower now lay castaway on the tatami mat.

His back arched awkwardly; air was stuck in his pipe. But nothing will extinguish the conflagrant ardor that brought about an uprising inside. And with the suppleness of her skin, a hostile takeover.

 _More._

His lips moved... Bit...

No more government, no more laws for his innards melted and might as well be gone.

Suddenly, Hinata's eyes opened, her sharp gasp resounding.

つづく

* * *

Daifuku Mochiin Corner!田

In _hanakotoba_ or the Japanese language of flowers, white lilies ( _shirayuri_ ) mean purity or innocence. Accordingly, it is also used to connote lesbian love because of the _yuri_ in it's Japanese nomenclature... and that gave me an idea which will unravel in the suceeding chapters.


	3. II

"Sasuke-kun… what—" was all Hinata could muster.

She wasn't asleep in the first place. How can she comfortably sleep with a man?

She almost flinched when he sniffed and kissed her hair. Her eyes barely managed to stay close when he touched her face with a flower. And now, a kiss on the lips with so much fervor!

"Hinata." Her name husky and charged on his lips. He was dangerously close to straddling her as his intense gaze turned gentle and wavering.

Hinata closed her eyes, unable to say anything. She has questions but they were silent before Sasuke's unspoken, raging thoughts. He leaned to kiss Hinata again and this time with more indulgence on his part. His mouth massaged her lower lip gently, almost coaxing. He nibbled there and she squeaked like a little mouse.

Her body began to tense up, being subjected to such sensations for the first time. Sasuke's hot breath were fumes over her mouth and the darkness of his orbs, never before so consuming in its proximity. He cupped her face, enclosing her even more, her hips fettered by his weight.

"I want to taste your mouth," he demanded.

Hinata glanced sideways, roaming around, away from his predatory scrutiny. She couldn't believe what she heard.

"Sasuke-kun I, I, I…"

His searing thumb touched her lower lip, reaching mild moisture and small white teeth, as his eyes pierced with laser sharpness. Not once in Hinata's young life did she think that she'd be lavished with so much male attention.

He gently slithered his tongue inside her mouth and she gasped at the intrusion.

The man above her is kissing her senseless and she felt so much shame at the sensations filling her, hotness everywhere and a strange growing ache between her legs. His tongue skidded at the roof of her mouth, down her throat uncaring if she did not return his caress. Hinata moaned as an inevitable response, becoming embarrassed afterwards of the lewd sound coming out from her. She couldn't think. The pounding of her heart turned louder.

* * *

Sasuke gazed at her through half-lidded eyes. Her face was flushed with mouth agape. He smirked at the sight of her bruised lips—they were pink and yet he turned them swollen red.

He couldn't help pepper wet kisses on her neck and he relished the moment she gasped as he bit the soft flesh below her ear. His hands turned impatient at the soft fullness pressed against him and he hastily fondled through her yukata, fitting her in his spread fingers.

"No, ahh!" she yelped as he ferociously took her collars apart.

Upon setting his eyes on her nude form for the first time, he gulped feeling the slaver under his tongue and kneaded slowly, pinching pretty ashen nipples. So soft yet firm, hot flames stinging his arms and lusciousness encouraged him to refuel his actions, now faster, testing suppleness. He nipped at one of the buds, the valley of her smelling so sweet and he drowned, his teeth lightly crushing and rolling.

Hinata gasped and shrieked and pushed against him. "S-stop! You can't-! "

But his mouth couldn't be without chewing her softness, now hard, now rough, sliding under his lips. He swallowed and sucked, his saliva turning acidic that he let it drip and sucked again, famished.

"P-please..." She sniffled.

He gazed up and tears cascaded down the sides of her face.

"Please stop..."

Such is the new low he has sunken to.

"Sorry." His whisper kept to itself. With a sidelong glance, he slowly pulled away, his ache below imposing at him regretfully parting from the small, wet pinkness.

"No, Sasuke-kun, it's not—I'm just," Hinata let out a disgruntled a sigh, trying to soften her sobs as she sat up.

Sasuke hesitantly reached out to wipe her tears, feeling contrite. Surprisingly, she grabbed his hand and gently wrapped her timid fingers around.

"Sasuke-kun, I can't express it well but… for the first time, I never felt so lavished with attention."

His chest perturbed. Something else was also growing more profound, more painful, to which Hinata is innocent and oblivious. He placed a hand casually over his center.

"F-forgive me for this question but how—why do you like me?"

Sasuke just looked straight at her. "What is there not to like?"

Her eyes turned wide, incredulous and searching but he won't give her any other answer.

Before tonight, she was too good for someone like him. But now she lingers on his tongue, in his breath, his muscles shivering, squeezing out sweat at the flaring heat, itching to have her underneath him again, the moon goddess herself with the dark night sky dripping like ink locks, elegantly framing her divine face. Her eyes are the stars that glimmer, the Polaris that guide lost travelers home. A noble ivory tower is her neck and her chest is the calm of a secret garden of white lilies and the Queen of the Night, their seductive rosy centers peeking and elusive behind soft white draping.

"U-um..." She directed her eyes down. "I'm still inexperienced and I'm having a hard time getting accustomed to all th-the s-s-sensations. I-If it's not troubling you, Sasuke-kun, w-will you help me?"

He planted a chaste kiss on her lips.

He wanted her so bad, right there, right then, but with her lips glazed with the promise of paradise, with kind words, serene like a promise of an unborn love that's almost maternal, he didn't matter anymore.

He motioned for her to lay back. She meekly obliged. He followed suit and faced her.

He's a man of control. Though another part of him begged to differ, angry and roasted to the core.

つづく

* * *

Daifuku Mochiin Corner! 田

I would like thank everyone who left reviews and those who followed/favorited this story. It's an honor for a newbie writer like me. Arigatou gozaimashita!:') *sniff* I feel bloated but I'll be fine. Just some newbie jitters.


	4. III

At that moment, Hinata felt like one of the lovers she read from a novel, gazing at each other underneath the starry skies.

Sasuke kissed her again, running a hand along her back. He looked deep into her eyes and touching away strands of hair that strayed there.

Hinata did not expect this from her husband. Beneath that stoic frame is a man who could be affectionate and potentially respect her timid constitution.

His soft lips guided hers, akin to a mother bird feeding it's young. Hinata's fingers clutched at the futon and she marveled at the warmth pooling inside her stomach. His kisses were nurturing and all the coldness she felt melted way.

Then, after a while, Sasuke's countenance changed. His shoulders turned rigid and his breath became ragged.

"Hinata," he muttered with a breathy moan.

The concealment cracked—a tempestuous rushing unraveled therein.

Sasuke's face contorted in a strange manner and with grave wanting. The red night light is dimly lit but the blood rushing to his face became obvious. He looked like he's suffering and Hinata doesn't even know why. One moment they were kissing and now, Sasuke looked constipated.

Eventually, she saw it. Veiled behind his yukata, he was touching himself down _there_.

"Don't look!" His glare softened, his brows creased with unease, weakening.

"W-what's—what should I do?" Hinata was flustered like never before in her life. She wasn't accustomed to this all— _W_ _hy is he doing that?!_

"You made me like this... come closer." He could barely reply.

Anxious, she followed his command. With him so close to her, Hinata felt his frantic heartbeat.

What he's doing to himself became more evident.

She felt the jerking movement of his arm close to her body. His tongue licked the shell of her ear, probing deep, lifting the muscle up then plunging it inside, sliding in and out, rhythmically.

The moist feeling, his hot breath...

 _His tongue is moving like_ —she gasped at the thought— _How can I be so lustful! Only animals can be like that_ , she mentally rebuked, detaching herself from the bondage of copulative instinct threatening to possess. Her eyes squeezed tighter which only heightened the sensations.

Sasuke gasped for air, his other hand frantically searching for a way to get inside her chest.

Submitting to her husband's eagerness, Hinata removed her _obi_ and revealed more of her naked body through the yukata's opening.

"Hinata..." He groaned feverishly.

His unoccupied hand ran invasively across her stomach, her hips and waist, her portly buttocks and smooth back. He relished the fullness and softness of her breasts, teasing the hypersensitive nub.

Hinata arched forward involuntarily. She shuddered and clenched at the stimulation. She bit on her thumb to stop the strange sounds. Sasuke was becoming more absorbed by his exertions; he was panting and his lips of perfect symmetry parted slightly. She could hear him say her name repeatedly in soft whispers, looking back at her through half lidded eyes.

The dark yukata he wore slipped off his shoulder as if complementing his imminent unwinding. Firm, rippling muscles mantled by his pale skin presented to her; elegant collar bones, profound, sheen as exquisite ceramic brims upon his haphazard respiration. Small scars marred his chest where beads of sweat glistened like morning dew.

She could smell his pristine natural musk, so nigh and so indulging, causing her salivary glands to run amok.

The man would usually be so aloof and never mingled with others.

When he returned to Konohagakure, almost everyone in the village distanced themselves from him. He never needed anything—neither comfort, nor happiness, nor affection.

He is a presence to be feared and yet he is revealing something else to her.

Tonight, he is vulnerability laced with heated passion; a permeable sharpness wrapped in mesmerizing allure. This Sasuke is desperate for her, so much that he's suffering.

 _Maybe I can help him soothe the creases_.

Sasuke was close and he could feel it.

 _I want to..._

Hinata's tongue sweeped along Sasuke's inviting mouth; the searing movement of air that resides within beckoned her— _Pi_ _ck it_ , _the beautiful white lily flower_.

Without warning, as Hinata's modest tongue caressed his own, he grunted in release and panted short breaths. She kissed him then, a peck to hamper his panting, and loosened the _obi_ on his hips.

Sasuke hastily put off the sullied _yukata_ , now emboldened and free to do as he desired.

つづく

* * *

Daifuku Mochiin Corner!(•̀ᴗ•́)

Cue: retro groovy music

Audience clapping in the background*

 **DM** : Hi! Hello everyone! Welcome to the first episode of DM Corner TV!

Camera pans to the audience, zooms in at some Konoha folks: the Uzumakis, Hyuugas, Hatake, etc.*

 **DM** : Our guests for today are none other thaaaannn Sasuke and Hinata~ Come on in guys!

Audience clapping and Sasuke with Hinata enters the set*

 **Hinata** : *bows* Thank you for inviting us today, DM-san, everyone in the audience and to those who are watching their televisions, konnichiwa.

 **DM** : No, it is I who should thank you. Hey Sasuke, greet the audience.

 **Sasuke** : Hn.

 **DM** : *Face palm* I know right, that's your famous response to almost everything. You know what, you should copyright that. How are you, Hinata-chan?

 **Hinata** : I'm fine, thank you. How about you, DM-san?

 **DM** : I'm also fine, but clearly, there are questions demanding to be answered. In the latest installment of "The Flowers, the Lone Gardener and His Wife"—whoo! *wipes sweat* that was long! I'll just refer it as TFTLGHW—whoo! That was also quite difficult my tongue's tied! Maybe just FLGW—much better!

Cue: Audience laughter track

 **DM** : So during the latest installment, Hinata-chan thought of the thing Sasuke did with his tongue on her ear as 'only animals can be like that' because it was moving like- like what exactly Hinata-chan? I think I know but it's definitely something that a lot of creatures do, right? Not only animals but also humans- that's the reason why you and Sasuke were alone in that room, right? Did you think it was wrong that you were sexually aroused by your husband?

 **Hinata** : *Blushing* That's... that's...

 **Sasuke** : Don't force her to answer. It's none of your business what she thinks. *glaring*

 **DM** : Okay fine, since you're grumpy, we'll talk about you. This is another question for Hinata-chan, about you Sasuke, about you! I made use of the yuri in shiro yuri to portray and narrate Sasuke. You know…basic girls' love elements like femininity pining for it's own kind or something. In the chapter above, Sasuke mastu- what is it PD-san? I can't say the M word?! Okay fine. "Sasuke touched himself." Good now? Blah! So when, Sasuke was touching himself—

 **Sasuke** : Repeat that, and I swear you'll lose your tongue.

 **DM** : I wasn't asking you. Hinata-chan, were you seduced by his girly side- by the way, Sasuke, your line "what is there not to like," that's a really old line used by sleazy men to seduce naive young girls.

 **Sasuke** : I'm not a sleazy man. I was serious.

 **DM** : Another sleazy man cheesy line.

 **Sasuke** : Only I can ever prove the authenticity and sincerity of my words. It has nothing to do with you.

Audience applaud, some whistles*

 **DM** : Geez, chill man. You clearly scored on that one.

More whistling from the audience*

 **DM** : Okay so back to the question, Hinata-chan, were you seduced by his girly side like when his yukata slipped off his shoulder and his face was fraught with pleasurable unease ? *nosebleed* Tissue please. Can you imagine it, girls in the audience? According to research, that's the appeal of some yaoi works, so if girls like that girly aspect in male characters, it is somehow becoming yuri, isn't it? Does Hinata-chan like yuri?

 **Hinata** : Um, it's nothing of that sort. Sasuke-kun just looked very… *blushes* very beautiful.

Audience ooohs*

 **Hinata** : Gomenasai, Sasuke-kun.

 **Sasuke** : I don't mind.

 **DM** : Confident of your manliness, aren't you Sasuke? If you don't mind Hinata-chan, I am curious about Sasuke's scent. I merely described your thoughts as "his pristine natural musk" but what does he smell like actually?

 **Hinata** : Hmm… like Sandalwood, fresh laundry and soda drink with soapy notes.

 **DM** : I imagine lemon soda. Hahaha! Get it?

Cue: Cricket sounds

 **DM** : I'm sorry guys. What is your laundry detergent Hinata-chan?

 **Hinata** : It's—

 **DM** : Oh wait, don't answer that. The PD said no product placements. What about Sasuke? What's your soap—don't mention the brand, just some generic scents.

 **Sasuke** : Discipline, determination and gobs of prowess.

Audience applaud, some whistles*

 **DM** : Cool, whatever. I received a question from a guest: Why didn't Sasuke just take Hinata-chan? Why did he have to service himself? Hnn... the answer to that is

 **Hinata** : Gomenasai!

 **Sasuke** : *Whispers to Hinata and pats her gently on the head* *glares at DM*

 **DM** : Sasuke don't kill me just yet! I'll give a decent answer I promise! Well dear guest, it's because that portion is saved for another chapter. See? It's a safe answer! A guest also commented about you being such a hornbag! Pffft! Hahahahaha! Thank you dear guests! Sasuke, don't look at me like that, I swear it was a guest who said that!

Lightning appears... the studio lost electricity*

TV screen lost reception. _Shhhhhhhh..._


	5. Interlude - Red Poppies

**Interlude**

WARNING: Rated M (NC-17) for MATURE CONTENT also known as TERRIBLY WRITTEN LEMONS THANK YOU!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto. All rights pertaining to Naruto belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

Morning came. Hinata woke feeling a bit sore. On the other hand, her husband slept with a peaceful expression on his face.

How different it is compared to what he showed her last night, e _specially when he_ —she blushed hard— _H_ _ow can such thoughts enter my mind_ _easily!_

She tried to untangle her legs from his.

 _Naked_.

She almost screamed then. Awareness totally makes a lot of difference.

Outside, she heard footsteps closing in—the Hyuuga manor servant girls.

"Hinata-sama, it's almost breakfast," the muffled voice notified.

" _H-hai!_ In a moment!" she answered, panicking at her own troubled state. Her lips throbbed in stinging pain as she spoke. She is not ready to go out at all.

"Hinata-sama, we already prepared the _ofuro,_ " another servant girl said, "You can use it immediately."

" _Hai_ , t-thank you," Hinata's voice replied in an unnatural high pitch.

The tension was almost too obvious. She scampered around and below the covers to search for her white yukata.

Sasuke roused from his slumber. While Hinata was tying her obi, her eyes met with his.

"U-um, Sasuke-kun… we should prepare for breakfast… w-with otou-sama and Hanabi-chan."

Sasuke sat up, his eyes still groggy and heavy. He looked at her and a smirk formed on his lips.

Hinata blushed, not wanting to know what was on his mind at that moment. Last night proved a lot to her. The way he pleasured her was almost unbearable. She eagerly shook her head, warding off recollection imagery. It's early morning yet, she's feeling incredibly hot.

"Yo-you sh-should get dressed!" she said, the strain apparent in her voice.

 _How do I speak normally again?_ _This year's summer seems adamant!_

Sasuke just stared at her like a lion—the ravishing muscular kind—stalking its prey.

 _He is doing it again, looking_ _at me like that_ , she thought, becoming even more self-conscious with each passing moment.

He didn't budge so Hinata cautiously kneeled beside him to reach for his discarded clothing.

As she held out the inner portion of the sleeve for Sasuke to place his arm in, Hinata peeped in unconscious perusal down his exposed body. The wonderfully defined ridges and the scars that scattered there. His sinewy and lean core. A gibbous, perky belly button. And then, lower down where it's barely covered by blanket.

 _There._

She suddenly remembered what transpired last night. Hinata can only imagine the demise of the poor garment she held in her hands. _W_ _hite lily!_ she mentally curse, her face turning crimson with embarrassment.

"I-I-l will bring you another one!" Hinata declared, abruptly pulling back the dark yukata from Sasuke's arm.

Hinata scurried out the room. She slid open and close the shoji door at lightning speed, leaving Sasuke alone and puzzled. She was keen on hiding what's inside the room, knowing some Hyuga servant girls were waiting outside.

"Kindly bring a spare yukata for Sasuke-kun!" Hinata whispered in hasty compelling.

The servant girls were wide-eyed upon seeing the former heiress. They just stood and looked at her like deer caught in headlights. Then suddenly, the girls let off some soft giggles.

"I will get it Hinata-sama," said the young servant girl with an insinuating smile on her face.

"It seems that Hinata-sama had quite the pleasurable time last night," said the other one.

"W-what a-a-are you—," Hinata replied with a smile, acting coy and confused.

 _They can't possibly see or hear what's inside, can they?_ she thought. It was an unspoken rule.

Before she could finish asking, one of the girls pointed at Hinata's lips and towards different points on her neck.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the door, Sasuke sat brooding on the futon as he traced a red poppy flower stain shape on the sheets with his finger.

He took her there.

Even though it wasn't perfect since he hurt her, she truly became his at that moment and it wasn't one of his imaginings. Her warmth really did surround him and they became one flesh—him and his dear wife, Hinata. It wasn't just the best sweet dream.

Hinata went scurrying inside the room again. The sound of her small white feet brushing against the tatami distracted Sasuke from his thoughts, and this time, her pink face is close to tears.

She hurried to a small, black wooden drawer at the corner of the room, withdrawing a silver mirror from inside.

"Does it hurt?" Sasuke asked, concern spanning his face, "Your flower?"

Hinata is terrified to the bone. Sasuke's marks dominated her neck and he didn't fail to make her mouth look red and plump. Now the whole world knows! And, oh, about her flower, Hinata failed at a reply.

She fainted after all.

つづく

* * *

Daifuku Mochiin Corner! 田

To all who left reviews, love and those who follow, thank you very much! I didn't know it could feel addictive:') *sniffs* Here's a narcotic flower for you all.

In hanakotoba, a red poppy or _hinageshi_ means fun-loving. For the Chinese, a red poppy carries the meaning of loyalty and faith between lovers. In some western cultures, it means remembrance, sleep and death.

Ofuro - Japanese soaking tub

Also, at "Sasuke just stared at her like a lion...", Sasuke really is a Leo but the idea of the comparison actually came from a SasuHina fanfic called "The Huntress" by SilverKitsune2017.


	6. IV

Hold your breaths!

 **URGENT** WARNING: MATURE CONTENT (NC-17) also known as Really Awkward Lemons. I went six tails just to make this chapter decent. I cannot tell how it's gonna make you feel but one word: Lemonade; and you swallowed the pips and it got stuck on your throat... made you cough and induced LEMONS. TERRIBLE LEMONS. TERRIBLE LEMONS.

Alright, now breathe...

During their first night, when Hinata kissed him, Sasuke responded with much wanting.

Is this _love_ coming to him?

Is this Hinata giving his hateful heart a chance at redemption, feeling and something like _happiness_?

What an odd thought, almost cringing.

He is not fit for such lofty human developments.

After all, he's forgotten about it—how to reciprocate and how it is to be reciprocated.

Her dark tresses strewed across the fabric like thick liquid in nightly bluish hues. Drawing their bodies closer, Sasuke pulled down her yukata as he sucked on the creamy satin skin of her neck. He possessively roamed her, trailing ember hot palms on her breasts and nooks and soft plains. When he pulled down her underwear but then her hands which previously held on to Sasuke's shoulders are now clasped down his wrists.

Met with another resistance, Sasuke became irate and reinforced his firm grip on the flimsy covering of her precipice. His brows scrunched. His glare impatiently resolute, madly burning.

"Please don't!" Hinata pleaded hopelessly, gasping for air. "It's too wet!" She cowered in embarrassment and covered her face with both her hands.

 _S_ _he's wet?!_ Her words echoed through the room, repeating itself seamlessly deep inside Sasuke's head. He grabbed her hand away. She didn't look at him and struggled to hide her face again.

"Do you understand what you're doing to me?" Sasuke said with a domineering authoritative tone. "You saying those words with that face… I'll show you." He brought her hand down and touched his phallus with her elegant fingers. She stared at him with fright but he couldn't care less. He's burning up but doggedly certain that relief lies inside of her.

"This… ugh!" His face contorted with struggle, feeling the warmth of Hinata's slight touch. "I really want to… _nh!_ Need to plunge this inside you where it's wet... _hng!_ "

His abdomen constricted at the tension building up inside his muscles. He let go of her hand after the trifling elementary demonstration. She didn't say a word and merely gathered her hands on her chest, shyly nodding altogether. That mere gesture set all of his cells on full battle mode and the adrenaline in his veins rushed like a battalion of mad shinobi warriors conquering the enemy fortress.

* * *

 _Okaa-sama, Neji nii-san, to the foregone Hyuuga... I have already lived longer than I though I would. You have blessed me profusely and now it's finally time for me to follow you..._

Hinata, never so exposed before a man in her life, held on to a pillow as if for dear life after he immediately took off her panties. He was unstoppable. She felt herself die at that moment and so she mentally initiated dedicating her spirit's departure to her ancestors.

In a trance, Sasuke spoke, his soul captivated:

"Beautiful… like a dainty, blooming red poppy flower."

Her ears could be playing tricks, no? She must've heard wrong! But her heart swelled at Sasuke's words. They sounded so poetic—a color contrast to his usual terse remarks—and melded like honey in her gut, filling it with soft and fluffy sweet mush.

She felt compelled to look at him.

She peeked behind the pillow and saw Sasuke gulp akin to a parched traveler in Kaze no Kuni. The ebb of fluid down his throat played a sound and the chiseled protruding bone shifted slightly then back, as if beckoning Hinata in whispers, through it's confines of sweat laden pale skin and plastered muscle— _To_ _uch... kiss me._

He lightly traced the moist opening with his forefinger and she clenched, almost enclosing his touch within. Hinata squeaked and brought her pillow to a tighter embrace.

 _Duty, Hinata, duty._

Sasuke slowly pushed himself in, hard, probing, foreign, and with one strong movement, breaking past the barrier, he became fully sheathed inside her. Hinata screamed as tears threatened to fall down her eyelids; the fat intrusion tore her apart.

His features crumbled into something pained and ecstatic. With a gruff voice he asked: "Are you hurt?"

He hovered over her, part breathless man, part heaving predator, his corded arms strained and flexed. She merely shook her head in retort, hiding behind a pillow but he suddenly yanked it off her and threw it across the room.

 _I_ _made him mad again!_

"I-it doesn't hurt at all, Sasuke-kun!" she half-heartedly denied. He is a handsome and fearsome creature and Hinata felt that restricting him from what he wants to do would bring upon another destruction to the world. She could feel the overwhelming tension, the ragged chakra wanting to break free from his body—a ferocious beast will soon take over him.

He pulled Hinata's arms over her head, his right hand binding it in place. Hinata was left with no choice but to look into his eyes possessing something close to rage inside its black orbs. He suddenly started thrusting inside her, slow and heavy at first. Hinata held her breath so as to avoid the pain from surfacing but he soon started pounding, declaring his dominant presence inside her—a plunderer set on taking control of her body.

* * *

Hinata's cries filled the room. She gasped and whimpered like an infant with tears akin to crusted pieces of diamonds looming her eyelids.

Just as Kakashi's books described of a woman's intimate expression, Sasuke determined Hinata's face to be the most erotic sight of all.

He claimed her mouth, engorging on her taste. Sasuke kept up with a fast pace and he would grind at times, earning a desperate moan from his wife. He would thrust more erratically and drive deeper recklessly.

Suddenly, Sasuke reached his climax, blissfully releasing a billow of pent-up energy inside her womb. He is finally spent; his body comfortably falling flat, heaving, on top of Hinata.

He is not yet done though.

Sasuke rolled beside Hinata and spooned her body with his and placed his hand on the rich flock of hair, slightly tugging it then cupping her delicate organ. He started experimentally teasing the petals, almost playfully, but Hinata flinched at his touch.

"It hurts," she softly cried. "B-b-but o-only a little bit!"

Sasuke was silent for a while. Inside his mind, a sane Sasuke punched a foolish Sasuke, ending the latter with Chidori—he clearly went too far. He placed a gentle kiss on Hinata's head.

"I'm sorry," he told her, "For forcing you to tolerate me."

" _Nnn_ ," Hinata replied. "I am now Sasuke-kun's wife… something like this is only natural, I suppose."

 _Only natural?_

Her words caused him more remorse.

He rose up and crawled to settle between her legs and open her thighs. Hinata looked at him confused but his intentions were made clear when he stooped his face low to reach his tongue out into her ravaged poppy flower. He saw blots of blood on the futon.

"Don't! It's unclean, Sasuke-kun!" Hinata panicked and covered herself with her palm, her legs clamped together by the knees.

"I insist," he said, "Let me pleasure you until you unwind and feel better… You can close your eyes if you want. I will be tender."

Hinata blushed and he started caressing her inner thighs, drawing soft circles with the coarse pads of his fingers and gently massaging her supple flesh, techniques courtesy of one of his 'readings'. It's his first time actually doing it—attempting to make a woman feel comfortable. He's beyond clueless as to how he'll fare.

She shyly withdrew her limp hand as her breathing turned labored, closing her eyes, making uncontrolled gasps and small noises as she covered her mouth. Encouraged by her submission, Sasuke peppered fluttery kisses on her thighs, travelling downward to where she's sore. Sasuke placed her legs over his shoulders and licked her lighty, her scent thick and musky. Soft, sour, sweet, salty, like water, like rain. Scooping from her, paddling, sealing the quivering fluff, or is it silk twitching as he dipped into the molten heat, sweet lava melting his tongue. She tensed and he dove deeper. She arched her back, her breath more frantic as though she's being stripped away of life, digging her fingers deep into his hair, embracing his head with her slick thighs. The callous balls of her feet tickled pleasure on his back and she met his mouth with undulations using her hips, squeezing his skull tighter. She gripped with closed fists on his dark locks pushing him deeper but with much softness, and his lips rubbed against the throbbing, tiniest part of her.

Slowly but then sudden, she cleaved as warm flesh clings to the blade.

A string of orgasmic sobs reverberated her throat, trapping Sasuke's tongue in a vacuum accompanied by several muscle contractions, and sweet, tangy nectar dripped to his mouth. He swallowed everything in a reflex and his poor lungs were desperate for air. The strong legs which locked his head turned droopy and Sasuke rose from her depths, almost out of breath—he seriously thought he was going to suffocate!

The Uchiha clan head thought about how it would've been better if he held her legs apart. It was an unprecedented attack which only proved that he has still a lot to learn about maneuvering.

He took a mental note to dedicate time for further study.

But, all his grievances were hushed when he saw his radiant Hinata basking in afterglow. Her eyes were in a daze, shimmering like cool, clear rivers.

He moved to kiss her mouth. Much to his surprise, she fastened her arms around his neck. Her leg grazed on his hip, elevating up to his waist, binding their bodies together, enfolding him in a cocoon of spring scent and rainforest mist emulated on her skin. She bestowed him with a stirring kiss; an invite dancing to a siren song inside his mouth. Her fingertips traced the length of his spine and stroked his pectorals with sensuous thrums.

A warm, blooming kiss gently perched on his Adam's apple. He softly sighed.

"Sasuke-kun…," Hinata said, looking at Sasuke with glassy puppy eyes, bewitching him with her bedewed, thick lashes. "My flower still hurts."

"H-hn. I'll do it again."

Sasuke was too dumbfounded to comment on anything. His wits was totally blown away by that kiss.

つづく

* * *

Daifuku Mochiin Corner!(•̀ᴗ•́)

Cue: retro groovy music

 **DM** : Good day, televiewers! This is Daifuku Mochiin for DM Corner TV and we are live from the office of Konohagakure's Hokage. And with us here is the Hokage himself, Kakashi Hatake-san! Thank you for this privilege. *bows*

 **Kakashi** : Oh, the pleasure's all mine, DM-san.

 **DM** : Sasuke Sadist is an earnest student, isn't he?

 **Kakashi** : *Chuckles* Truly, he is a _majime_ in every aspect of his life whether it's becoming a great shinobi or becoming great at s*x.

(t/n: Majime - seriousness, soberness, straight-laced)

 **Kakashi** : S*x... s*x.

 **DM** : I'm sorry Hatake-san but the S word is not allowed.

 **Kakashi** : Oh? But I thought this show's rated NC-17?

 **DM** : The FLGW is NC-17 but the DM Corner TV is okay for everyone to watch. That's how it is usually, you know... like when you're watching a PG rated show and then during commercial break a trailer for an R-18 movie comes up? It happens.

 **Kakashi** : Oh, I totally get that. It's like when your students are immersed with school work but you want to read p*rn... p*rn *sighs* Yeah, point is, you gotta keep 'em labeled.

 **DM** : Sasuke mentioned reading your 'books'. How did that happen?

 **Kakashi** : You know DM-san, when you're a teacher, it's very important that you're sensitive towards the needs and wants of your students. There are no shortcuts, no fixed solution manuals... you have to sense it, you know. And for Sasuke, as his former teacher, I just felt that he needed that and it is my duty to guide him.

 **DM** : That's very noble of you, Hatake-san. Any words for Sasuke? He could be watching this right now.

 **Kakashi** : Sasuke, I had insufficiencies but I just wanna let you know... that you don't need to mention your thanks. I will lend you as many Icha Icha as you want. I will do everything in my power to help you reach your paradise. If you want, I can even buy you your own collection 'cause we both know you're just as shy as any other virgin boy. And now that you're married... BE FREE! (Cue: Chariots of Fire theme song) Whatever it is that gets in your way, and though there may be setbacks, burst yourself through it!... Through tears and sweat and pain, slowly but surely; gently and thoroughly; Penetrate!... Dominate!... Pound on it like the man you are! Never give up! Just keep at it and your path to release and ultimate pleasure with Hinata will unwind before you!

 **DM** : *Teary eyed* Very touching Hatake-san. "Never give up!"

DM Corner TV staff were very moved; they applaud*

Door bursts open*

 **Sasuke** : Kakashi! I will kill you!

 **Kakashi** : I have a new one... it's about hot baths. *runs away* Talk to me when you're calm. *Jumps off the window*

 **DM** : *nervous laugh* Sasuke, I know I have offenses-

Sasuke follows after Kakashi*

 **DM** : Whew! *wipes sweat* Hahaha! I didn't know you could be thankful for being ignored. That's all for today, guys. See you next time!

Cue: retro groovy music


	7. V

Sasuke and Hinata ate in silence.

Hanabi, who was seated across Hinata, carefully eyed her sister. Hinata refused to spill the beans even when Hanabi performed one of her tantrum acts. It had always worked before but this time, Hinata just calmly told her:

 _"Some things are best kept a secret, Hanabi. When you're older, you'll understand."_

The horror! Since when did Hinata talk to her like that?! Now her sister's beginning to sound like every other adult she knows!

 _That husband of hers better be treating her right,_ Hanabi thought.

Sure he's the infamous, handsome and all mighty Uchiha Sasuke. Sure she thought it was sweet when he gave Hinata white lilies every time he visited her—he's the white lily man, alright—though it was mostly their father that he talked to, which is odd. Sure it was grand that he's making himself landless just to please the Hyuuga into marrying Hinata to him—that's really cool... for the Hyuuga that is. But he better be treating her sister right or else, she'll be making his life within the halls of Hyuuga a living hell.

Just one night together and her sister's already weird, acting all matured and the like. Somehow, it's really getting on her nerves— _When you're older you'll understand blah, blah,_ _blah._

Hanabi contemplated on how there are no physical oddities or whatsoever on Hinata, when there should be, according to some "books"—but Hinata is perfectly capable of healing herself.

 _Argh! Did he touch her or did he not? What happened to my precious sister last night? They don't even look at each other._

She should've sneaked into their chambers. Hanabi is quite livid knowing fully well that the Hyuuga strictly forbids interfering with _soke_ wedded couples' first night. The chambers, in which her sister spent the night with her husband, was a separate segment of the manor solely intended for virgin procreation. Basically, she is yet neither allowed to get close nor sniff the air circulating that area.

"The _okura_ tastes divine, Hiashi-san," Sasuke complimented, as he munched on the vegetable.

The sisters were quite shocked they had to stop eating midway.

Hiashi- _san_?

Hiashi with the S. A. N.?

What in the world—Is that how he had always addressed their father? Did Sasuke Uchiha suddenly learn his manners? Hanabi knew how the man referred his acquaintances. Honorifics are a total waste of _the_ Sasuke Uchiha's time; all of Konoha knows.

A while ago, when Hanabi met eyes with him, he merely gave her a nod like _"e_ _y_ " or " _o_ _i_ " as if bending his back a little further down would compromise him standing back up properly again, but to their father, he greeted good morning.

Something is definitely not right.

"Thank you," Hiashi answered with delight. "I harvested them this morning. My summer vegetables grew quite beautifully this year, quite beautifully indeed."

"The tofu is also amazing. It will definitely taste well together with some tomatoes."

"The secret of the Hyuuga Tofu recipe is definitely patience," Hiashi replied with a lighthearted chuckle. "And speaking of your favorite tomatoes, you can help me pick them in three days time if you want. They'll be perfect by then."

"I'd be glad to."

What is happening here?

Is Hanabi hallucinating or did her father and the chiseled-brute-turned-chatty Uchiha Sasuke, just engaged in housewife talk?

She never eavesdropped on them but are vegetables and tofu recipes all they ever discuss about in hushed tones at their father's private quarters?—the Hyuuga patriarch even knows the Uchiha's favorite.

 _I_ _t wasn't Hyuuga-Uchiha Konohagakure domination or Uchiha land ownership_ _transfers or amassing powerful jutsu for world destruction just like I_ _hypothesized?!_

One night she went to bed as usual and the next morning, the world is not the same.

 _I_ _s this for real? Am I real? Or am I just a butterfly fluttering in the wind dreaming I was real?_

Dealing with such deep existential questions alone is hazardous for one's mental health, Hanabi is sure. And so she tried to seek refuge in her sister for something like camaraderie in perplexity or perhaps telepathic communication—a _jinx!_ moment of some sort. But what she saw was a jittery woman with a fixed gaze on her husband's… mouth? Her husband who's minding his own business eating tofu, while said woman is holding her _hashi_ , which also held a chunk of tofu mid-air, with a spasmodic hand.

 _That chunk of tofu is sure to fall, Hinata nee-sama,_ she thought and she couldn't care less.

And Hanabi was spot-on. Right on the _misoshiru_ — _Splash!_

It splattered on the table and some on Hinata's face and clothes.

"I-I'm sorry, I need a kerchief," Hinata said, frazzled.

"I'll lend you mine, Hinata nee-sama." Hanabi nonchalantly handed Hinata a yellow handkerchief with red embroidery.

"Oh thank you, Hanabi-chan." Hinata gently wiped her face and she noticed the embroidered flower patterns. "What a pretty kerchief. Did you make this yourself?"

"Of course! They're red poppies."

Hinata suddenly blushed.

"Red poppies suit you, Hanabi," Hiashi said. "They exude brilliance, strength and energy—admirable qualities of a leader."

"Thank you, otou-sama," Hanabi replied with glee.

"I have taken quite a liking for red poppies myself. One species of poppy is the source of opium," Sasuke said, directing a nonchalant gaze at Hinata whose face is beet red. "A red poppy can be quite addictive too."

Hinata fainted and Sasuke was quick to catch her pliant form.

"Hinata nee-sama, you're not pregnant, are you?!" Hanabi exclaimed.

"I-I-I'm not! That's impossible!" Hinata replied after recovering much of herself. "Babies are not immediate, Hanabi-chan. Last night was the first—!" She suddenly gasped, bowing down in embarrassment. "I-I w-would like to excuse myself first, otou-sama!"

"Hn," Hiashi muttered, looking at his eldest daughter walking away from the dining table.

"I'll be excusing myself also, otou-sama," Hanabi declared while hastily gulping down her _misoshiru_ and cramming the rice remaining in the lacquered _hanki_ , inside her mouth. Bringing her hands together, she said " _Gochisousama deshita_ " and placed her _hashi_ atop the _hanki's_ rim.

After Hanabi was gone, Hiashi began to speak.

"So, you were successful last night," he said with a smile on this face, wrinkling his eyes altogether. "But of course, you didn't force her, am I right?"

Sasuke cleared his throat. " _Hai_ , I would never."

He really didn't. Okay, maybe he did. He's not very sure. Now he felt like he was lying through his teeth.

"I'm glad grandchildren are expected to come soon," Hiashi continued. "Ah, I bet Mikoto would've been very glad too."

He was silent for a while as he perused at the grains of rice. Hinata's old man spoke of his mother's name with a hint of fondness. "You really think so, Hiashi-san?"

"Of course. I'm certain of it."

つづく

* * *

Daifuku Mochiin Corner! 田

Some Japanese vocabulary:

Hashi - Japanese chopsticks

Hanki - Japanese rice bowl

Misoshiru - simply miso soup (I know, I know-I just wanna be pretentious, okay?XD)

Gochisousama deshita - a polite phrase used after a meal

Also, Hanabi's line: 'Is this for real? Am I real? Or am I just a butterfly fluttering in the wind dreaming I was real?', is a reference to the Chinese philosopher Zhuangzi (莊子) or Zhuang Zhou (莊周).


	8. Interlude - Bosom Carnations

**Interlude**

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto. All rights pertaining to Naruto belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

It has come to Sasuke's attention that there have been certain semblances of his mother overlaying Hinata—her long dark hair, the curvature of her wrist when throwing _shuriken_ , the strands of hair sticking on her cheeks moistened with sweat, her silhouette, the warmth of her hands, her voice when she'd ask if he's hungry or not.

One particular afternoon, as the autumn leaves of red and orange hues trickled the streets of Konohagakure, and the warm summer breeze has given way to chilly winds that infuse the bone, Sasuke was treading back to the Hyuuga compound after a month long mission.

He didn't miss much the conveniences that came with having a shelter called home, but the gentle fingers that fiddled with his hair when he slept left a gaping hole of frail dearth inside him. The lavender scent that wafted off her would reach until miles away, cold winds of danger and solitude bearing rumors of it's recall.

He entered the gates and pink carnations adorned the inner walls. The guards acknowledged Sasuke's presence as he passed by—the head of the tragic Uchiha clan conjugated to the Hyuuga clan through marriage with the former heiress. His pace hastened upon the carved stone pathway and he unexpectedly reached her; the harkening of his ebullient yearning.

Kneeled on the grass is his wife, tending to a crying little boy's wounded knee. Hinata is calming him with words while using healing jutsu. Standing beside her was a morose lad fraught with unease.

A childhood memory flashed his mind.

He always had a hard time catching up to Itachi. His brother was a cloud overcasting him, protecting him from the burning sun, being hoisted far by strong winds which Sasuke chased albeit for naught.

Because he was a cloud, he was also the nimbus that drenched with storms which maimed Sasuke's being like a thousand metal bullets weighing the girth of the sky. When the nimbus was gone, he had wished it buried him deep on the ground instead.

But at one instance, it was Sasuke who disarmed his brother.

Sasuke smirked at the memory. Never in his life did Itachi looked so flustered and clueless as at that time.

Little Sasuke fell from a tree after playing pretend with Itachi, and he was a boy who wailed over a grazed elbow.

Itachi tried to appease his younger brother but Sasuke's cries only turned louder. Their mother, Mikoto, came and gently held Sasuke's small arm, blew over the wound and covered it with her large, feminine hands. She told little Sasuke that the pain is going away and he simply believed it. Then the pain was really gone.

Sasuke reckoned Hinata must have the same gift—making pain-stricken children believe it doesn't hurt anymore while healing them altogether—seeing how the little boy's cry turned to a cheery smile.

The two boys thanked Hinata and waved her goodbye. She looked over as they went when a familiar figure stood from a few yards away.

His clothes were filthy and smudges of ash and dirt latched onto his pale skin, but it's unmistakable. A skip of her heart's rhythm was an urging to call out and meet him; a compulsion to tend to his weary form. She was halted in her steps when the two boys stopped to look at Sasuke. They were terrified of him as if he was the ghastly personification of their nightmares.

"What are you looking at, _jiji_?!" shouted the eldest of the boys, shielding his younger brother from the stranger's prying eyes.

Sasuke's unfazed visage held impervious stoicism. He calmly rummaged inside his cloak and took out a rectangular yellow box, bending slightly to hold it out with his bandaged hands. He opened the box and offered it to the children.

Delectable looking, plump spheres of _daifuku mochi_ were contained in the box. However, the boy just stared back at him defiantly.

"We don't eat stranger's food! Go away stinking old man!" lashed out the lad.

An amused smile crept up Sasuke's face—being reminded of a certain _dobe._

"Hn," he muttered, holding the box of pounded rice cakes closer to the children.

But the boys stood frozen, the older one being firm on his stand even with the delicious treat in sight.

"Sasuke-kuuun!" Hinata called out.

She smiled as she trotted closer, eyeing his box of daifuku mochi and then the frightened children.

"Ah, it's _daifuku_ ," Hinata said, her voice almost a tad bit too jolly intended to entice the young ones' curiosity. "I like _daifuku_. Sasuke-kun, can I have one?"

He nodded. He knew she'd like them.

Hinata took one from the box and put it inside her mouth. She chewed slowly, savoring its soft and sweet combination.

"Mmm!" she moaned with delight. "It tastes very good! You should try it too, Genta-kun, Ken-kun."

The boys were reluctant but Hinata gave them her sweetest smile and they could never doubt her. They each grabbed to eat a piece and strewn across their face was the enjoyment felt from having the snack melting inside their small mouths.

"Can you give all of the _daifuku_ to Genta-kun and Ken-kun?" she said.

"But—"

"Please…" she added, this time using her adorable pleading eyes—a dangerous weapon to Sasuke.

He didn't reply and merely gave her the box. She beamed at him appreciatively and handed the box to the children who happily accepted it. As they walked away, the kid called Genta hollered:

"Hinata-sama! Be careful, okay? Don't be friends with that dirty old man! He looks dangerous!"

Sasuke flinched. _That brat! What friend?_

" _Hai_ , Genta-kun, I'll be careful! You take care of yourself and Ken-kun and your mother, okay?"

"Okay!" the boy replied, grinning.

"I bought them for you…" Sasuke said. His voice was cold but there was a faint disappointment interlaced between his words.

Hinata just giggled and uttered her thanks. She told Sasuke she was more happy they shared to the children whose mother is a _bunke_ servant growing the crops.

"I watch over them whenever I can. Their mother is always working very hard," Hinata continued. "They were definitely happy because of the food you gave them, Sasuke-kun. I've had my share and it was very delicious."

His eyes met hers, and he just stared at her for quite a long while.

Hinata's fingers began to fidget, feeling flustered when her husband's gaze bore deep into hers.

"Um… um… _O-okaerinasai_ , Sasuke-kun," she shyly muttered.

He poked her forehead and went ahead. Hinata just stood behind touching the spot where he touched her. Sasuke's poke sent palpitations to reverberate inside her chest.

Indeed, Hinata has a few similarities with his mother, as Sasuke had thought. But their differences are clear too.

 _Mother, for one, did not make my heart beat so fast, my ribcage feels like it's going to break._

"I-I'll p-prepare you a-a hot bath, Sasuke-kun," his wife called out.

Strangled by the wishful thinking—if not the slight possibility—of her joining him in the bath, Sasuke began feeling sorry for his chest and the pumping muscle within wrought up with hyperactivity.

つづく

Daifuku Mochiin Corner!田

A big thanks to all who left love, those who follow this story and especially reviews. When I feel stuck, I read on and feel cheered up:')

In hanakotoba, carnations mean love. Red carnations are, accordingly, common gifts during Mother's Day in Japan.

Daifuku Mochi - Japanese confection made of glutinous rice, filled with anko, which is red bean paste made from azuki beans. (I promoted myself too much during this chapter, lol, but really, Hinata's favorite foods are cinnamon rolls and zenzai, which is also made from azuki beans.)

Jiji - old man or grandfather but when used to refer to a stranger, it becomes rude and is equivalent to calling someone a dirty old man or codger

Okaerinasai - means welcome home. It's supposed to be in response to "tadaima" which means "I'm home" but then Sasuke is... a rude jiji.

Hello to SilverKitsune2017-senpai who left a lot of reviews. (･ﻌ･)Thank you very much! There are definitely more than one portion of this fic influenced by senpai's works;)


	9. VI

Four months into their marriage, Sasuke began taking long missions, duty bound to the Hokage of Konohagakure. Hinata was then left alone to sleep by herself at night.

Before she was married, going to bed without somebody else beside her was not a problem. It was aptly how she was, a habitude.

But then, something changed.

When Sasuke was away, many times did she find herself having trouble falling asleep, feeling as if the bed was too cold or too big. The room which she shared with him would be too empty, too stark and it's lifeless walls become torrents of morbid solitude that suffuses the air within. She would sleep beside Hanabi on more occasions than her sister permitted. Hinata either had to force her way or earn herself some pity just to be let into Hanabi's room. She knows she's being bothersome, but she can't help it.

Sasuke broke her—the Hinata who was fine with sleeping alone.

He spoiled her with his warm hands running along her back and waist. He burned her skin when he kissed her nape. She was a passive recipient but he filled her and melted her—with much gentleness than the first time—and bound her with locked chains, the key of which he brought with him everywhere he went that when he is away, she would struggle with a perverse sense of immobility; she finds herself waiting, wanting to feel his feline raven hair in between her digits, and dreaming even when running the course of her daily tasks at hand. Her mind would betray her with recollections of him.

 _"Hinata, I'll be gone for a while."_

There was something particular about the way he speaks her name.

Whenever they train together, he'd be stern, the syllables rolling off like drops of water into a deep well. Then often times, he would be gentle, and the vowels flutter as if with wings, taking off into the air, descending on Hinata's ears and settling to stir in her stomach, caged but wanting to break free. Sometimes, he'd utter the beginning with a rasp, ending with a breathy cushioned whisper, sparkling like flint against steel and setting her on fire.

It wasn't for a while. He was gone for too long.

And then she'd be embarrassed of herself.

Since when was she a desirous woman who harbored ill, desperate feelings of wanting everything from someone all to herself. They are shinobi who serve Konohagakure and she should keep that in mind.

Sasuke was a renegade, a traitor who involved himself with a lot of atrocities. He was feared but Naruto never gave up on him. He fought together with Naruto against the adversary during the Fourth Shinobi War, and battled against each other for the future of the village. Hinata tended to Naruto after their bloody head on and she knew; any experienced shinobi would know. Each highly esteemed the other and every attack landed on their bodies was affective—it was a fight like that.

Naruto is neither the type to give up a battle, even against Sasuke, nor would he choose to kill him, but someone decided to stop. And it wasn't Naruto—he screamed for help when their fight concluded. The hero of Konohagakure didn't look fine himself, bloodied, tattered and shaken; but Sasuke conceded, allowing a mortal blow on his chest, letting everything slip through his fingers. Naruto emerged the victor; Sasuke ceased to fight.

Hinata could not even begin to think how he managed to pick the broken pieces of himself, the pain he felt when everything that he chased after—with all of himself—brought him nothing in return. She was devastated when Naruto didn't accept her heart. Her beloved cousin Neji died protecting her while she tried to shield Naruto with her all—the man who declined her love, her selfless dedication and her identity even though he seemed to hold all the light in the universe. She felt her consciousness tore itself apart and she wept for days on end until there was nothing left of her grief to spend. It was almost evil that she had hoped for reciprocity.

And yet, Sasuke gave her white lilies.

Purity. Innocence. Kindness. It meant something to her. White lilies were the flowers she crested upon Neji's grave. Deep in her heart, it is bound with the longing, a far-off wish, for everyone that has lost their lives—their place under the sun—to emerge as souls purified whilst they embrace eternal sleep, where the sincerity of their hearts and wills could become apparent, clear as day, and where everything turned to nothing—where everything became pure; no torment or suffering that came with living in a world that didn't always bring out the best in people. She had always needed help and Neji was among those who looked after her and she relied on him for many times than she can remember.

The white lilies for Neji was the unspoken prose of who he was to her.

 _Was it the same for_ _Sasuke-kun_?

She can clearly remember the first time.

It was autumn, about a year ago.

 _The ground was wet with rain._

... _Small puddles of water had formed along the streets._

... _Fallen, dried leaves strewed the mud in their battered forms, depleted of life but nonetheless uptight in holding out a charade of firmness and palpability. It was almost with a strong sense of duty that the leaves had clung to the ground and then onto Hinata's wet boots._

... _Upon her arrival, back from a mission, the Hyuuga servants immediately tended to her, removing her dampened outdoor garments and drying her hair and skin. It was not always the case that servants would bathe and dress her up; she's supposed to do it herself. They were under strict instructions from her father to prepare for receiving a special guest._

... _At first, she had thought about the possibility of the special guest being one of her father's venerable acquaintances. It soon had come to her attention, however, that the servants prepared a lilac furisode with floral embroidery embed with gauze packets at the hems containing carnation petals and cinnamon bark scrapings; a bit of powder and blush was also applied on her face and balm with rosy pigments on her lips._

 _... Hinata inquired about the purpose of the preparations but they merely smiled._

... _She knew what it probably was and she never liked it._

Naruto was always at the back of her mind even though she had willingly given up; he is always happier with Sakura. It was with that forethought that having to entertain marriage prospects broke her heart. However, she is the eldest daughter and turning her back against her father's wishes would only prove her lack of filial piety and dutifulness.

... _Hinata entered her father's quarters. She bowed her head low but deep inside, she trod the floor begrudgingly. She spoke her greetings and as soon as she lifted her head, her eyes widened at the unexpected persona—it was Uchiha Sasuke, with a white lily on his hand._

... _"Sasuke-kun?" Hinata acknowledged, bewildered of the man's presence before her father._

... _"Hinata, Sasuke had asked for your hand in marriage."_

During that time, she was rendered speechless. Never in her right mind had she ever associated herself and Uchiha Sasuke as marriage partners. Naruto and Sakura chased after this man for almost half their lives; he was a wanted criminal, their former teammate, and their beloved person. That man was pardoned for his criminal liabilities because aside from his contributions during the war, Naruto and Sakura filed petitions. Sasuke is the person whom Naruto would willingly give his all just to save him. He had everything Hinata would have wanted formerly for herself from Naruto—his acknowledgement, his attention, his dearest thoughts— _w_ _hat sort of man is he, in the light of truth, that he should gain all of these_? She had asked herself then. The one thing she thought she knew: he is powerful—cruelly powerful.

... _"The elders and I have reasoned together regarding this matter," Hiashi continued, "And indeed, our clan has a lot to gain from this marriage, Hinata—Uchiha lands, Sasuke's prowess among other things—besides his family was of former_ _nobility._

... _"As a matter of fact, Sasuke wanted to spend time with you regardless of the agreement we have come across. He didn't want you to feel forced—such a courteous young man, isn't he? When he could've just married you by the morrow if he opt to."_

... _Then, Hiashi chortled. It was the rarest peal of laughter that Hinata had ever heard from her father. He seemed truly glad—not mordant or cryptic._

... _"Otou-sama…" Hinata was flabbergasted, almost in a daze as she looked at Sasuke right at the corner of her eyes. Everything seemed discombobulated and she felt her chest tightened, restricting the passage of her breath. Sasuke just stared at her, through dark, heavy orbs—a gaze so transfixing it immediately pulled Hinata into it's void and mystery._

... _"I shall now leave you both to yourselves."_

... _After Hiashi left the room, silence fell and the crackling of wood burning in the irori which illuminated the room was all that can be heard. Hinata's fingers began to fidget; murmurs sprang and echoed inside her mind._

... _"Um—Sasu—"_

... _"This—" Sasuke said as he handed her the flower._

... _Their eyes met for a while and Hinata lowered hers as she accepted his bestowal. His cold touch lightly tapped on her fingers as his hand left the flower in her clasp._

... _"A-arigato, Sasuke-kun."_

... _Then it was still again. He just sat on the zabuton, with his back poised and straight, knees bent and hands in tight knuckles. With much resolve, Sasuke broke the silence._

... _"Is it alright if I… meet you again?"_

... _She looked at him and saw the broad contrast of his pale skin—almost translucent against the yellow light—and the dark kimono he wore._

 _... His eyes were downcast. Fringes of raven hair parted at the center of his forehead, stropping his chiseled cheek bones, giving prominence to an aquiline nose which reminded Hinata of stalactite formations that dripped gentle drops of water inside a cave where she waited with Kiba and Shino for the rainstorm to pass. There is a certain elegant and tranquil aspect to it, distinct from the narrowness of his forehead and strong linear brows that betrayed no emotion or hint of thought._

 _... The moment he looked at her, she almost gasped at the intensity; his irises like burning charcoals lunging at her with deep attention. She felt her cheeks burn and awareness crept remembering how she left his question unanswered._

... _"O-of course," she bashfully replied, "If Sasuke-kun wishes to see me again, I am much obliged, b—"_

... _A question almost rolled at the tip of her tongue, but she held off. What brought the Sasuke Uchiha to want a Hinata Hyuuga for his wife?_

... _Even so, he truly is a creature of beauty however enigmatic._

Later that memorable night, she spent hours thinking about the flower she placed in a crystal glass half-filled with water; about what it actually meant to be receiving something from Uchiha Sasuke and the glimmer that shone on his dully pair of coals when she agreed to see him again as his betrothed in spite of merely doing so out of courtesy. It seemed so much more familiar on his face, like that's how he'd always been—like that's what he's supposed to be: a beautiful child who quivered with anticipation.

And she wants to see more of it.

To her, it had been pure and innocent—sashayed curiosity.

But now, that man, whom she thought was a beautiful child, made her weird. She would wrestle and jostle to become just like a white lily again.

つづく

* * *

Daifuku Mochiin Corner! 田

Furisode - a kimono worn by unmarried women with swinging sleeves about 39 to 42 inches long

Irori - a traditional Japanese sunken hearth used to cook food and heat the room. It's a square shaped pit, lined with stones built into the center of the floor.

Zabuton - pillow used to sit on the tatami floor

Also, about the part where Hyuga servants put carnation petals and cinnamon bark scrapings in gauze packets on the hems of Hinata's kimono, it's totally made up based on conjecture from different sources. But ultimately, I was introduced to the idea by a SasuHina fanfic which title and author I couldn't recall but I do remember the vivid imagery.


	10. VII

Steam fogged up the vicinity and the streaks of light made luminous the particles aloft in the air. After filling the white acrylic bathtub with hot water, Hinata reached for the porcelain oil flasks on the gray tile flooring. She poured a few drops of peppermint oil and lavender oil into the tub. Soothing fragrances wafted into the bathroom while steam rose up in sinuous curls and mists. She dipped her hand in the water to gently paddle it to and fro, carefully mixing the oil essences with the base liquid. As she reached for the oil flask plugs, she found herself smiling. Seeing Sasuke giving daifuku to Genta and Ken was heartwarming and adorable. He looked very—

" _Kawaii_."

Trying to muffle her giggle only made her cheeks flush. She couldn't help but let it out. Dusty tickles swarmed her stomach and soft chuckles escaped her mouth. Sasuke was even called a dirty old man and she saw him flinch; he looked petulant even. It was such a rare sight that she almost laughed at his face. Good thing her reaction is only coming out now or she would've been too embarrassed of herself. Sasuke has just returned after almost five weeks—that wouldn't have made his homecoming pleasant at all. However, to Hinata, it really was a funny thought.

Her ears perked alert as she heard him strode past the door, his bare feet flopping on the cold, hard tiles. "You seem to be having fun," Sasuke said, clutching on his tousled dark mane, it to part sideways. His hair had grew longer than the last time they've seen each other.

Hinata averted her eyes from him. Her husband donned a blackish gray towel around his waist; streaks of dirt littered on his muscular torso and limbs. She caught a glimpse as he walked closer with fluidity akin to a panther's gait.

If she is to be really honest now, he is cute no longer. A while ago, when she saw him walking in from the gate, her heart jumped up to her throat. The pink carnations adorning the background were like bunches of adoring, love-stricken ladies fawning over his magnificence—over his virility.

She shivered at the word.

Every now and then, she would afford herself some vanity. As Sasuke's wife, only she will ever get to feel the surge of virile wanting scourging his body, flowing to her without recourse. But she has to rid herself of such thoughts.

"S-sasuke-kun, I-I'm already done," she replied, her breath discomposed causing her words to falter in a shivering high, "You can wash up now."

She suddenly stood without sparing Sasuke a second glance, the oil flasks held secure in a tight embrace around her chest. Before Sasuke could say anything, she had gone out the door.

Hinata let out a heavy sigh. She placed the oil flasks back into the cabinet which holds canisters and containers of various plant extracts, fragrances and dried components. She frequently uses them for her baths and balms. Her latest favorites are aloe vera, which she also uses for tonics, and rice bran oil for moisturizing her hands and feet. Before, she wouldn't even have bothered about her palms feeling coarse. She's a shinobi after all. But then again, ever since her marriage to Sasuke, she became weird. She sighed again.

Sasuke-kun.

Maybe he needs her help. She could scrub his back. But what would he think if she goes in so boldly? The grime on his back needs to be scrubbed off well, though. She is only going to do what any other dutiful wife would do. To aid her husband is the right thing to do.

Certainly, she's only going in to help scrub his back… if he wants her to.

Sasuke was left in the bathroom to keep his thoughts to himself, wondering about Hinata brushing him off. He turned on the faucet and drenched himself using the flexible shower hose. Mud and dirt streamed the floor into the water drainage. He was washing his head when he heard a knock. With a muffled voice, Hinata called out:

"S-sasuke-kun, d-do you want help… scrubbing your back?"

After a pregnant silence, Sasuke told her to come in. He watched Hinata's fuzzy back, idly entertaining notions if she was wearing anything underneath the bathrobe at all as she reached for the petite stool and the soap placed on a ledge above the faucet. When she turned back, she didn't spare him a glance again.

It was not what he imagined at all; she offered to scrub his back as though granting one of his silent wishes, but then she also avoids looking at him.

Pangs crept into his chest. It was a peculiar feeling he never knew before; like a house's hearth running out of wood for winter's respite. Sasuke reached for the shampoo dispenser and pumped a blob into his palm. As he began shampooing his hair, he felt the washcloth scrub his back.

"Sasuke-kun, did you go gardening again?"

Sasuke was stopped. He almost forgot to are things his wife must not yet know about.

Gardening? What gardening?

He resumed his research on Kaguya with Kakashi's approval, of course, and for twenty days, he was in Amegakure where a meteor had hit and caused a huge sinkhole in the city grounds. Confidential.

Uchiha Sasuke? Gardening? Ridiculous! Outlandish! Ambitious!...

It was all sorts of adjectives.

"I was on a mission. Why would you think I was gardening again?" Sasuke abruptly inquired, his tone cold and flat.

"I'm sorry… I-I was joking," Hinata replied and Sasuke cursed that fact that he's making her nervous when all she did was help him out. "Wasn't that the case when otou-sama made you work hard weeding and hoeing in exchange for a date? The one he turned into a vegetable garden?"

"Oh. You meant that." He let out a huff of air. "That was the only one time I got to till his land... any land. I totally have no clue about planting, whether it's vegetables or trees or flowers." He almost slapped himself on the forehead, self admitted to have sounded like making up an alibi just now.

"Pardon my nonsense Sasuke-kun, don't mind it very much." She continued to scrub on his back, tracing his spine and ridding his scapula of grime. "It's just that lots of dirt are stuck on your skin. It must've been hard—your recent mission."

"I'm sorry," and Sasuke meant that for a lot of things. First and foremost, for making the conversation tense and awkward, then, the list goes on in all sorts of adjectives.

"Nnn, I'm glad you didn't have any bad injuries." She reached for his wet hair and combed her fingers through. "That's all that matters—that you're well and safe." He sometimes gets nightmares and Hinata would caress and fiddle with his hair, just like what she's doing. It helps him relax and even out his breathing.

He wanted to turn and face her, and just as he was about to...

Slosh!

The water flowed in rivulets from the top of his head. He closed his eyes at the suprise attack, breathing in through his mouth.

"S-s-sasuke-kun c-c-can soak in the tub if you're done b-b-bathing—not that you don't know that—b-but um… um…" Hinata talked in a stuttering haste; her childhood habit of fidgeting with her forefingers relapsed as her pearly eyes, mounted on a rubicund skin, kept looking sideways, carefully averting Sasuke's scrutinizing, dark orbs. "… I'll be placing your change of clothes on top of the bed!"

With that, she dashed out once again, not even bothering to look back.

Hinata ran across the room, and plopped her belly on the mattress. She laid still for a while.

"Hinata, baka."

She buried her face into the duvet, almost close to tears.

"That was really rude… you must've made Sasuke-kun feel unwelcomed. He must be thinking what a rude wife you are! Very unladylike!"

She felt somewhat pathetic for being such a childish eighteen-year-old woman who can't even understand why a shinobi like her is suddenly deplorably conscious at appearing ladylike. Feeling like throwing a tantrum, she resorted to thrashing her face on the bed.

"I don't understand myself anymore." Tears formed on her eyes. "It's weird to be missing someone this way."

She clutched at her aching chest and thought about other married women like Sakura and Ino. How about Kurenai-sensei?—did they feel like she does too? The bittersweet feeling on your surface, churning and burning like acid to the molecules of your entrails.

Meanwhile, Sasuke was left to process everything by himself. His skin, particularly his face, felt scalded—not that he'd fuss about the hot water, fire wielder anyone?—at the blatant outpour of rejection, carrying along his imaginings down the drain. He scrunched his brows trying to analyze his wife's behavior while scrubbing his chest, arms and legs, thoroughly, until the skin turned red. Dipping into the hot bath, he reclined and eased himself into the water, combing his hair back with his fingers.

The peppermint is strangely relaxing while the lavender definitely comforts him in ways more than one. It's the scent of her hair. And now, she's acting somewhat cold towards him; but she prepared him a bath and even helped scrub his back. Had he not married her, he wouldn't have known of such luxuries.

Maybe it's a problem with his perspective and Kakashi's definitely to blame; his collection perverted Sasuke's expectations.

Pinching at the bridge of his nose, he thought of ways how to forget he even read Kakashi's books. It made him more sick as a human being and Sasuke felt heat rising up to his cheeks as he was brought into that realization. He cast his glance on the steam moving upwards to the roof. Its gentle ascent reminded him of Hinata's beauty—pure, graceful, soft and quiet—so ethereal with a dormant sensuality. But she can also be weird at times—dousing him with hot water so suddenly like that! Raising his hand, the fog of steam dispersed as the slight force divided the air. He thought about taking Hinata out for dinner. He will make plans after resting for a bit.

After past half an hour, Sasuke went out of the bathtub and grabbed his towel to dry himself. He could feel Hinata's presence still inside the bedroom. It is not yet night time but she seems to have fallen asleep. He felt her there for as long as she went out the bath.

When he reached for the silver knob to open the door, he saw her lying on her belly atop the azure mattress. She told him she'd place his clothes on top of the bed but there was none. Hinata must've been very busy and tired working at the hospital while sometimes taking missions and still finding time to watch over snot-nosed brats, and taking care of her husband who's clueless at being one. But, as soon as he let go of the knob to walk towards the clothes bureau, Hinata sat up. He saw shimmering glints laced on her lashes. Her hair was unkempt. Sasuke felt his heart twist with pity.

Why was she crying?

"Hinata…" he walked towards the bed.

But he was frozen on his tracks.

"Sasuke-kun, I'm very sorry for what I did." she shyly apologized, her shivering eyes finally meeting his own.

His wife was kneeling down with knees slightly spread apart.

Hinata pulled the white bathrobe down her elbows, revealing to Sasuke a voluptuous body scantily clad in black, flimsy undergarments; an underhanded method—one so potent it activated Sasuke's Sharingan.

つづく

Daifuku Mochiin Corner! 田

Thank you for all your support and encouragement!:')

It is unknown if the Sharingan can be activated by sexual arousal but some works presented such a feature. Kinky was its demonstration in White Lace by SilverKitsune2017-senpai, and it was sublimely fascinating upon intimate stimulation, expressed through a poetic narrative in Still Waters Run Deep by Winter Weatherman.

A Poem

This chap-ie is a shorty,

I will update sooner if ye happy,

Since it ended with a cliffhanger-y,

I'll let it hang in a jiffy.

Yo, check it out, yey,

Hey yey, hey yey,

Hope the next chap-ie

won't disappoint-ey!

Kakashi: "Flimsy undergarments" Pfft! Hahaha! Hahaha! Is that like a brassiere made of spaghetti? or your great great granny's panties?!

DM: Hmph! I don't care about what you think Hatake-san! Sasuke is not on the same level of perv as you. He doesn't know what it's called! *sulks in a corner*

Kakashi: Seriously? And you're asking me to proofread your work.


	11. VIII

_"He's such a hunk!"_

 _… "His pale skin is not really my type but he sure is pretty."_

 _… "It's Hinata-sama!"_

 _… The servant girls bowed to her. It was early morning but jovial whispers of chattering servants ran along the corridors. Hinata got out of bed to get ready for breakfast but her curiosity led her past the dining room. From out the corner, the shoji door slid open. Hanabi was wearing an orange kimono with a red knitted shawl wrapped around her shoulders. She flashed a bright, amused grimace at Hinata. Her younger sister's definitely birthed by the sun itself._

 _... "Hinata nee-sama, do you know who's causing all the ruckus so early in the morning?" Hanabi asked, a glint flashing across her white orbs._

 _… "What are the servants talking about?"_

 _… "Your white lily man," Hanabi replied with a snicker._

 _… "White lily man? You mean Sasuke-kun?" Hinata raised a brow, quite confused as to why would he be the hot topic of the day._

 _… "Come, I'll show you."_

 _… Hanabi grabbed Hinata's hand and she led her out into the engawa. Slipping on their geta, they made a turn to the back of the main house, encountering chattering servants along the way. They crossed the stone plank steps leading to a tall bamboo fence which encloses their father's vacant lot._

 _… It was new spring and the scent of fresh leaves coming alive permeated the air. The koi pond was no longer frozen and Hinata stopped to look at the fishes which were put back in, astonished at their garish frock of scales and how so supple their blubbery bodies swam across the water with fluidity. Drawing her out from a trance, Hanabi pulled Hinata's arm as she pointed out to the bamboo gate which was left open. When they walked in, Hinata felt the long grasses touch her legs and feet; the melted snow sifting cool moisture on her skin. She felt the chills of the wind blowing across the mount overlooking Konoha and beyond the horizon. Thick clouds dissipating hovered over the gorgeous sunrise, granting it's golden scattering an opaque affair with fogs draping the bamboos. Grunts can be heard from not so far and Hinata felt her sister's hands pushing her back, forcing her to walk someplace else._

 _… As they approached an angled corner of the fence leading to a clearing, there was a man, a pale man, raven of hair, sweaty and thoroughly underdressed for the cloudy early morning weather with only his pants and boots on while working on the hard packed soil with a hoe. Hinata's eyes widened at Sasuke's figure tilling her father's parcel of land. She covered her mouth which was wide agape in surprise._

 _… "Why is Sasuke-kun—?"_

 _… "Otou-sama said it was a favor he asked of white lily man in exchange for permitting him to take you out on a date—alone! With no servants or guards, or elders, or me and especially no otou-sama—a legit, true date Hinata nee-sama. White lily man sure is making efforts to please you. Maybe he really likey likey you. I blush," Hanabi said with a weird teasing, sarcastic expression on her face._

 _… "Hanabi-chan, stop calling him white lily man!" Hinata's brows furrowed, reprimanding her sister in her usual gentle, sweet manner. "He's going to be your brother-in-law by summer."_

 _… "Hmmm," Hanabi teased, skidding her eyebrows at Hinata._

 _… "Nooo," Hinata pouted and blush ran across her face, "he only wants to marry me because—because." She looked at his white, muscular back—smudged with dirt, hunched as he toiled—and his soiled black pants and muddy boots. "Because it's convenient and the elders think so too."_

She really never understood why he wanted to marry her. Not until he answered her directly during their first night together.

"What is there not to like?"

Call her a fool but Hinata took his words to heart. It's vain and presumptuous but for the first time in her life, she felt like she was wanted. She's not the strongest among women but he patiently sparred with her, teaching her how to better harness her taijutsu; he kissed her palms even when they're not the prettiest; he bought her daifuku when he had nobody to bring food before; and he trusted her to scrub his back. Only Hinata can ran her hands along his body without him feeling apprehensive… I think, she reminded herself, a bit unsure about the last one because clearly, it's just one of her vain thoughts.

But still, he scares her sometimes.

Sasuke stood frozen, looking at her with sharp, red-lit eyes. Loud thumping dominated her chest.

"S-sasuke-kun? What's the matter?"

Sasuke blinked as if regaining composure, and pressed on his temples before letting out a sigh. "It's nothing... Were you crying?"

"Oh, i-it's nothing." Her fingers fidgeted. "U-um, y-your Sharingan…"

He ceased it's glow and proceeded to the clothes bureau which was facing the left side of their bedstead.

How shameful.

Just the mere sight of her kneeling on the mattress set his mind crafting titillating imagery, portraying her so provocatively and so much of what books call—undeniably so—a vixen.

"Hinata, let's dine out tonight," he suddenly said as he rummaged on the neat pile of folded clothing. Strange. His turtleneck sweater of dark blue shade, a thing he fancies, is nowhere to be found. He is particular about it for the Uchiha crests embroidered on the sleeves.

"Where are we going?" she asked, her eyes almost iridescent with joy.

"How about kaiseki-ryori at ryotei Kogarashi? I remember you liked the view of Naka no Kawa." Sasuke rummaged further, not wanting to give up on his choice of outfit. Speaking of Naka no Kawa, Hinata will definitely see much of it near the Uchiha family training grounds. But it's not yet time. Much is still unfinished.

"Hai. Last time we went there, there was daylight. I wonder if evening lanterns will be widespread across Naka no Kawa. It will definitely be very beautiful." Hinata went inside her closet.

"Hinata, do you know where's my dark blue sweater? The one which covers half past my neck?"

Peeking out, a striking red blushed across her features, seeming as though she struggled to form words with her mouth. "I… I…" She looked at him straight in the eye, embarrassed and apologetic for reasons Sasuke cannot surmise.

He's not kissing or touching her and she's already acting like he did. It's the same face she wore when he'd kiss her hard and she finds herself moaning.

"I have it," she answered, slumping her shoulders and Sasuke followed as she walked up to the drawer beside the bed. Why would Hinata have it? His brows tipped. Did she wash it while he was away? Practically speaking, she really didn't have to.

She pulled the upper compartment and retrieved a knotted cotton fabric wrap and with her slender digits, undid the knots to reveal Sasuke's dark blue sweater rolled inside.

Biting on her lip, she murmured almost inaudibly, "I hug it to sleep sometimes…"

Fireworks burst inside his guts at what she said. It may be autumn but spring flowed through his veins, loud taiko drums and chants of "wasshoi!" celebrated the flower festival inside his mind. He felt himself gawking like an idiot and so, faking a cough, he responded to break the silence.

"Why did you wrap it?"

Hinata blushed several degrees darker. "S-so that when I hug it like this," motioning her arms to envelope the space between her breasts, "I-it would feel like it's your… a-arm."

His synapses froze and Sasuke found himself unable to respond to anything at the moment.

It was a habit she developed overtime so that she's alerted to switches in Sasuke's breathing patterns. But of course, only when she thinks he's fully asleep. Hinata could never grab onto his arm so daringly like that. At least, not when he's awake.

What would Sasuke think?

How embarrassing. Prying open and revealing one's hidden feelings actually hurt, and it's not her first time knowing that.

Hinata sat lightly on the bed and placed the pre-loved clothing on the surface. It's probably the fourth Sasuke clothing she had used to comfort her loneliness. Sometimes she'd secretly wear his coat because it's definitely warmer. She had also dressed up his pillow as dummy for his presence but she had to wash it, dishearteningly, after the second week because his scent had already worn off. The bed was too cold without Sasuke's scent lingering there—it had felt like that.

She felt her husband sit beside her and pick his sweater. Without ado, he slid his head and limbs inside the garment, wrapped his arms around Hinata, his nose buried into her hair. She hugged him back and propped her bosom close and tight against his taut chest, soothing the ache with the balm of his breath and vibrating life force.

Is this love coming to him? He finds himself asking once again.

Sasuke felt he doesn't deserve such merit. He didn't grow such love; someone like him couldn't possibly.

In "Hana no Tamashi", a guide to cultivating flowers, the late Inoichi Yamanaka wrote, "… Growing beautiful flowers is like growing love."

The Yamanaka tended to their flowers with great care. They own the most abundant floral gardens in all of Konoha. According to Inoichi, flowers show the most beautiful if you nourish the soil properly after a thorough weeding and also taking into account soil amendments and even mulch, which could vary on a case to case basis. Making soil amendments and mulch require the most "hard work", in Sasuke's olfactory opinion, since it's accordingly better with compost and manure—not just any manure but composted manure—the one which requires days before it's alright to use. In addition, Inoichi also noted that there is also virtue in watering flowers gently and making sure they're exposed to just the right amount of sunlight because some species are particular about shade and moisture. There must be patience and dedication through every step of growing them.

Inoichi's daughter, Ino, had told him that you need to sing for the flowers to be happy but her husband, Sai, sported a dreaded face from one so lacking in emotion—though Sasuke can't speak differently for himself—at such declarations. One old lady from Iwa in the Earth Country had told him that growing flowers is like waging war; different terrains call for different strategies. Different flowers bloom the brightest to varying climates and specific times of the year; some flowers even grow in the harshest wintry lands.

Sasuke had once ruled it out that flowers, especially delicate ones, become sterile and vain under his charge. A hand that wields the sword is the ultimate folly at horticulture; the hands that have ever only known how to kill and inflict pain upon others will ultimately have no part in a world where tender beauty calm exists.

Yet, held in his arms is the sprite of his heart's spring; the honeyed sedimentation of spring dawn on a snowy rock mountain where climbers had dared and succumbed to death along its dark, cold ridges. That she would miss him beside her—Sasuke wouldn't have thought of anything so close to the notion. How does one accord themselves when granted with such a disarming, debilitating novelty? A man can only count on the dictates of his passion.

He ran his fingers along her chin to plant a languid, supplicating kiss on her lips. She moved her hands along his back, and he moved to deepen the kiss. Hinata moaned at his tongue's caress. They both parted for air, looking into each other's eyes imbued with polarity possessing immense electric attraction.

"Sasuke-kun… date," she said, breathless as she uttered the terse words.

He didn't want to get his hands off her but he decided he'll take her out tonight.

"After you're completely dressed, wait for me at the gate. I have to go somewhere first." He kissed her cheek and disengaged from her cottony embrace. How he had wanted to take that robe off of her!

"Hai."

Sasuke brushed his fingers along perfect locks of her hair, savoring the sight of her innocuous face with cheeks in full bloom.

つづく

Daifuku Mochiin Corner! 田

Here's an early update. Thank you for the reviews:') They tickle my DM heart.

Some vocabulary:

Engawa - an outer corridor around a Japanese house

Geta - Japanese wooden sandals with an elevated base. (yes, the cool looking one.)

Kaiseki-ryori - traditional Japanese multi-course cuisine based on seasonal ingredients

Ryotei - high-class traditional Japanese restaurant

Kogarashi - the cold wind that lets people know the arrival of winter

Hana no Tamashi - Soul/Spirit of Flowers

Sasuke's sharingan in the manga can actually see through skin, muscle and blood vessels. For the purpose of this story, the sharingan is presumed to be unable to see through clothes.

For the next chapter, just to make the imagery clear, I would like to emphasize (if not yet known or 'googled') that the obi or the belt of the kimono Hinata wore has four visible components: the thick obi itself, the obi-age which is a long fabric tied above the thick obi to make the form of the waist look firmer, then the obi-jime which is the thin cord tied around the obi, and the obi-dome which is a brooch used as an acessory on the obi-jime cord. Daifuku Mochiin is just a poser so I will try hard to make it sound a bit authentic at least. Thank you for bearing with me. lols (･ﻌ･)


	12. IX

"Do you want to take a stroll at that bridge?" Sasuke asked while they waited for their food. He was pointing to a small arching bridge over Naka no Kawa, which could be seen from the open shoji windows in their enclosure at ryoutei Kogarashi. The room was subtly lit and the wallpapers were of light tea green color, drawn with patterns of grains of rice.

Across him, Hinata sat on a cushioned, ebony _zaisu_ , leaning with her elbows propped up on the _chabudai_ and resting her sleek mandible on her palms as she gazed out the window, watching as the lanterns tarry across the river and along the riverside where small boats sailed, most of the passengers are two at a time—probably lovers basking in comfort around each other's company underneath the autumn waxing moon.

"Certainly," her eyes shimmered as she answered. "But before that, let's ride one of those boats. Does Sasuke-kun know how to row the oars?"

He smirked and narrowed his eyes at her question. "What do you think of your husband, young lady? I wasn't called a genius for nothing."

She giggled in a subtle flirtatious manner. "I don't believe that a beautiful young man such as Sasuke-kun would be able to do it," she said as she lightly bit on her crimsoned lower lip as the corners of her mouth moved in a slight upturn, stirring the heat inside him.

He briefly chuckled, never taking his eyes off of her. "Was that an insult or a compliment?"

Her mauve _huomongi_ had embroidered orange maple leaves and golden wavy patterns intertwining, quiescent into a helpless deathly fall. Wrapped around her waist is a pale golden silk obi with grass patterns and embroidered small flowers flowing with the wind, the amber resin _obi-dome_ blazing like a navel of smoldering iron brand. An assembly of cloth ornaments folded into a chrysanthemum and pink carnations gathered in her hair neatly held up and metal strips fluttered therefrom twinkling like her eyes, dangling down her isthmus where exotic migratory birds would flock without reproach was Sasuke's whimsical notion.

And best of all, her luscious red tinted lips—a powerful contrast to the deep indigo fringes outlining her face.

She's a vixen even when fully clothed.

Has she ever worn crimson on her lips before? During their wedding, yes. Most occasions, never. Does it actually mean something if a woman suddenly paints her lips red during a night out with her husband? He'll find out when they get home.

* * *

Hinata hadn't have a drink and yet a certain drunkenness crept into her entire being. It's totally Sasuke's fault.

A while ago, when she saw him approach the Hyuuga main gate with a bouquet of white lilies on his hand, she asked him if she looked alright.

He couldn't answer at first, looking sideways as if searching for something on the ground with a tinge of blush on his cheeks. He cleared his throat before muttering a yes and he told her, so clearly, that she looked very beautiful. He looked so lost, seeming so adorable as he handed her the bouquet.

It stroke her womanly ego—because he's so adorable, she wants to flirt with him.

Did Hinata ever flirt? No. And the right question would be if the word even crossed her mind before.

She reached for the bouquet placed carefully on her left and deludged her nostrils with their scent.

The last time they went here, back before they were wed, he gave her only one lily. Now, it's a bouquet. He would never admit it and she would never say it to him but, slowly, he is changing; building up acts of kindness upon kindness, gentleness upon gentleness, expression upon expression.

"Sasuke-kun, you gave me plenty of flowers tonight. Does it mean something?"

"Maybe."

"Like taking me out to more dates?" she asked, a sparkle glinting in her eyes.

"Or maybe asking you for favors."

"Hmm… may I ask what those favors are?" she asked, smiling.

"Allow me to make up for the times you spent cradling your husband's clothes instead of being cradled in his arms..."

She sat up to compose herself, feeling the boring heat as he took his turn casually but purposefully leaning on the chabudai with a meaning stare. With a smug grin, he added: "Which could, but not necessarily involve talking you out to more dates."

 _I need a paper fan!_

Hinata's breath rose as invisible flames threatened to scorch her skin. He is so not adorable. She should have known that he really is a manly man—if that ever makes sense. A plethora of vivid imagery flooded her mind and she is yet to find something that's not racy.

"A-ah! S-something l-like holding your hand while we walk?" she answered, holding up the forts of her crumbling defenses—because corrupt thoughts make pretty flowers wilt. The poor white lilies. She must fend off against any impure notion.

"You will?" He smiled at her amusingly but his eyes were daring Hinata. "Hold my hand."

She looked shyly at him from behind the flower petals. Slowly, her hand reached out to Sasuke's open palm and his callous thumb rubbed lazy circles on her skin, his eyes intensely focused on her the whole time. He weaved their fingers together, squeezing her smaller hand. It made her shiver. His touch held static electricity and he placed a chaste kiss on her palm, his hot breath piercing on the concave portion of her hand. Her fingers twitched at the familiar brush of his nose and lips. Him doing so had caused her great concern before.

Suddenly, the shoji at the front end of the enclosure opened and ryoutei Kogarashi's mistress, Akiko, bid her intrusion to usher a waitress to serve the appetizer inside.

Hinata abruptly pulled her hand away, blushing in embarrassment.

"Hinata-sama, it has been quite a while," Akiko bowed, clad in a red-brown kimono. Kogarashi hosted a plenty Hyuga formal dinners and Akiko is a family friend.

The waitress placed small trays of petite grain-textured ceramic bowls holding chilled persimmon salad and sea bream sashimi on the short-legged table.

"Indeed, Akiko-san" Hinata bowed in response. "How have you been?" The shift from a shy girl whose fingers tremored at her husband's touch into a noble lady of regal bearing was almost immediate.

"I have been quite well and the ryoutei has been recovering fairly good—even better than the last time Hinata-sama and Sasuke-sama visited here."

Kogarashi was one of the establishments ruined during Pain's attack in Konoha, and with the resulting economic downturn after the war, it's recovery was substantially hindered, threatening the retention of a 50-year Konohagakure Kaiseki legacy.

"I'm glad Akiko-san," Hinata warmly smiled, reaching out for the woman's hand.

"I am happy for you as well, Hinata-sama," Akiko replied beaming. "You are radiating with bliss and I think I know why."

"Akiko-san…" Hinata shyly muttered.

"I shall bring a vase for your flowers. It would be such a shame if the petals are ruined before you could even press them."

 _"Arigato gozaimasu."_

"The _suimono_ will follow after a while. If you'll excuse us, Hinata-sama, Sasuke-sama," Akiko bowed for one last time before sliding shut the shoji.

"I didn't know you pressed flowers, Hinata," Sasuke wore an uncanny expression. "There's a lot that I don't know about you."

She was going to answer how she only knew a few things about him but she held her tongue and replied with a smile instead.

 _"Itadakimasu,"_ Hinata said while bringing the tips of her rosy fingers together.

Her tongue delighted at the coolness and mild sweetness of fresh fuyugaki persimmons. However, she noticed Sasuke not partaking any at all. He merely gobbled up the thin sea bream slices then set his hashi down, not even touching the yellow bowl of fruit salad.

"Is it not to your liking, Sasuke-kun?"

"Hn." He merely sat there without a hint of emotion, watching her eat.

It didn't occur to her before but thinking back, Sasuke never indulged himself with anything sweet.

But the persimmon should be alright.

Maybe, just maybe, Sasuke would eat it if she tried Sakura's method of making sure Naruto chewed on his food properly—the blonde man had recently found himself having problems with indigestion and his wife doesn't let him have his way of manic eating anymore.

Hinata leaned over to Sasuke, picking on his salad with the hashi placed beside his bowl and lifted it up close to his mouth.

"Aaa—" the vowel pronounced from her shapely crimson lips.

She saw Sasuke's eyelids move to a subtle sharpened glare and he merely gave her an obscure grimace. But Hinata won't falter.

"Aaaah—" she repeated, this time with a hint of cloying appeal.

Sasuke scoffed as he reluctantly opened his mouth and Hinata gently probed the slice of fruit in. When she saw that her husband's actually chewing, being proud of her accomplishment, she smiled sweetly at him and small traces of pink dusted his cheeks.

There he goes being adorable again. She inexplicably lusted after his vulnerabilities and she finds herself giggling in an uncharacteristically flirtatious manner.

"How is it, Sasuke-kun?" she asked, inattentively dabbing Sasuke's hashi in between her lips. "Do you want more?"

"Hn." And it meant positively the second time.

* * *

Kakashi was seated in another room. Akiko slid the shoji and a waitress served the Hokage sake.

"Hokage-sama," Akiko bowed. "How was your discourse with the visitors from Kirigakure?"

Kakashi dined together with the Mizukage and her deputy. Securing ties and establishing rapport is one of the most crucial objectives at this point of his administration—something that's stressful altogether. Wherever trouble brewed, whether it be inside or outside of Konohagakure, it's the Hokage's trouble still.

Kakashi sighed. "I don't wanna talk about work." Dark bags were prominent under his eyes as he laid his head on the chabudai.

Akiko closed the shoji after telling the waitress to leave first while she talk with the Hokage.

"Ne, Akiko-chan, tell me something exciting. Even sake might do just a little to quell my fatigue." He gulped the liquor in one swoop. The Kogarashi's mistress drew near Kakashi to pour him some more.

"The romantic kind of exciting perhaps, Hokage-sama?" she asked.

"Oh? Not that I'm into sappy sweet stories but do tell," sharply swinging back his silver head as his hastily gulped the sake on the white porcelain cup.

"Hinata-sama is dining with her husband tonight—he was your student, wasn't he?"

Sasuke taking Hinata on a night out? Kakashi thought, the cogs of his brain turning.

"They looked so in love, he was kissing her hand when we served the appetizers. It's quite unbelievable really, because this is the Uchiha we're talking about. Hinata-sama must've somewhat tamed him, I suppose—mind you, I used to have the image of them as trees on the opposite sides of a broad, stony path—but now, he even gave her a bouquet of flowers!"

Kakashi sprang to life, mischief running along his masked features.

"Akiko-chan, please do me a favor—No,—Do Konohagakure a favor! The future is in your able, beautiful hands!" Kakashi exhorted with exaggeration; something he used for his clueless student's sake—he thinks—for quite a few times already apart from tonight.

つづく

* * *

Daifuku Mochiin Corner! 田

Zaisu - Japanese legless chair with chairback

Chabudai - tables with short legs, used while seated on the floor

Tabi - traditional Japanese socks

Huomongi - a semi-formal kimono worn by both unmarried and married women

Kanzashi - traditional Japanese hair ornaments

Suimono - (lit. thing to sip) soup course

Fuyugaki (persimmons) - a variety that becomes sweeter as it ripens


	13. X

After the scrumptious six course dinner, hand in hand, they walked to the river dock with a sense of harmony and peace at the ascent of falling leaves and the calm of lantern-lit Konoha nightly scene by the Naka no Kawa.

Back at _ryoutei_ Kogarashi, Hinata also took the liberty of feeding her husband some anko filled wagashi. He doesn't like sweet red beans but clearly, he likes being fed by her and she held a sense of pride at having discovered that side of him.

When he suddenly grabbed her hand across the busy street, she didn't mind. It's a grant of favor since she made his sensitive palette go through much averted saccharine flavors tonight; but he also didn't mind. They're not the couple to usually indulge with public display of affection but the clasping of hands was an outward manifestation of a butterfly tenderly fluttering inside their chests; a motion to set free the sparks of light gaiety setting off inside their bellies which are growing stronger with each step of Hinata's black enamel _zouri_ on the cobblestone path.

"How much to rent a boat?" asked Sasuke to an old mad who oversees the moorage.

"2000 ryo per half an hour," the old man answered. "But you are lucky, young man," he added while eyeing Hinata through puckered, narrow eyes, "it's only 1500 ryo for you since your girlfriend is very beautiful."

Sasuke glared at the cackling bearded elderly as he handed him some coins.

"Now, now, don't get mad at me. A beauty is a beauty—whether it's the river, or the moon, or a blooming flower."

"Thank you," Hinata bowed with a smile to which the old man replied that its nothing while scratching the back of his head and blushing, flattered at Hinata's polite gesture.

Sasuke stepped into the boat and held Hinata's hand to guide her. The old man also lend his to Hinata as she crossed the gap between the wooden dock and the anchored vessel floating on the water. Hinata expressed her thanks to the old man and he gave a bashful smile.

"She's my wife," Sasuke said, irate, but his face held no emotion as he rowed away.

"Tsk. Stingy! You'll be growing gray hairs like mine before you even know it," whined the old man before laughing it off.

"Hn."

They stayed silent while Sasuke worked the oars. For a while, only the sounds of chatters from faraway can be heard. Also the creaking sound of wood and the sloshing of the water.

Above them, myriad pathways of stars in numerous patterns and connections unraveled like an endless stream of specks, glittering into an infinite song, weaving through the dark halcyon which crooned with the river as it met at the horizon, towards eternity.

"The stars look marvelous," Hinata said, her neck arched to bask her eyes in the wonders of the heavenly view.

She then gazed at Sasuke. His eyes met hers—as they were sitting in front of each other—but it reflected no reaction.

"Sasuke-kun, you look very cool rowing," Hinata muttered, shyly, but she meant it to break the silence between them.

His eyes squinted at her. Since when did Hinata become so good at teasing him.

She softly giggled, echoing like a caress through the river channel.

"I think that even if Sasuke-kun's hair turns to gray, you'd still be very cool." And she really meant that. Even as a kid, girls at the academy flocked to him and marveled at his prowess, as he proved his abilities every time. Hinata admits being fascinated by Sasuke's aptitude and sheer power. Back when they were at the academy, he'd be several levels higher from her, from Naruto, from anybody their own age. Maybe that is why any hint of her husband's vulnerability is dear; because he was seamless and never showed loose ends.

"If that time comes, will you be there with me?"

It was Hinata's turn to be silent. She looked at his face, carefully tracing the moonlight's touch on his skin and bones. In his eyes—she saw it once again—a flickering gleam; the beautiful child who quivered with anticipation.

A faint smile decorated her mouth. With an inhale to stretch the full weight of an honest answer, she said: "As long as there's breath in me and I am your wife, certainly."

Then the flickering gleam was gone.

Sasuke pulled harder at the oars, rowing faster towards nowhere, it seems. Then, they were further away from the docks, entering into the portion of the river where houses and establishments were only a scattering. He trimmed the small boat for a turn.

Were going back already? Hinata thought. Whatever is in Sasuke's mind right now, she doesn't have a clue.

Her husband stopped rowing. He positioned their boat in such a way that is perpendicular to the flow of the placid river. The boat would stir at the push of tiny currents but not strong enough for it to be displaced. He just sat there quietly gazing at a far off direction, towards where the river flowed forward. The moon reflected upon the water; ripples shattering it into shards of bright, broken mirrors.

"If you go further this direction, past the oaks, you'd reach a canyon," Sasuke started to speak. "The Uchiha training grounds." He removed his long coat and handed it to her.

"Oh it's alright, Sasuke-kun. I'm wearing a _haori_ ," Hinata said.

But just as he was putting on the sleeves, she held on his coat and left the bouquet of flowers on her lap—maybe, just maybe, something would flicker back.

" _Gomenasai_ , I feel a little cold now."

He gave it back to her and she placed it on top of her shoulders. It was warmer and Sasuke's scent clung along the collar—the pristine which had spoiled her and she'd long for it again when he's gone. She pulled the edges closer to cover across her chest.

"Itachi," he muttered. Then, a pause.

The gentle autumn breeze blew from the mountains and the leaves and tree branches swayed, stretching as if to heave. The forests respire.

"He used to train there, always, not even missing a day. When I was little, I would watch him. I wanted to be great just like him."

He neither talked about his childhood, nor about his brother—never about his family—not once to her. His side profile was impervious but his voice in its tepid quality was almost wistful.

"I would pester him to teach me, whether he'd be at the training grounds or at home... Then, we grew. I couldn't pester him as much because my mother got mad. And also because I didn't see him as much. Until..."

The Uchiha Clan massacre.

"Everyone died." His answer shook her.

As he gazed far, darkness loomed beneath his brow bones and what once were reflective surfaces turned matte—a texture with a penchant for absorbing light like a dark hole eating the brighter stars, turning its specks into a stream of forgotten, silenced hope, consumed eternally by an abysm springing forth from the brokenness untended far too late, way back in time.

 _Everyone?_

Did that mean that even with Naruto, Sakura and their mentor, Kakashi, he was alone? He used crass and rude words, telling people to shut up—even Hinata's timid young self—in order to drive them all away.

It then occurred to her. Sasuke determined to be alone.

For the cost of revenge, he had to be stronger than everybody else. He had to be seamless because his brother was great. He bore on his small shoulders the vengeance of his clan, seeking to be powerful, no matter what, because he was the little brother who pestered his great elder brother to teach him—because Itachi had showed him a dream and a purpose to take in the world; yet, Itachi also took it all away. His elder brother left everyone for dead that even when his quest for vengeance was over, they still live inside his head while he slept and he'd sometimes wake gasping for air, hugging and holding Hinata as if he's falling down a steep cliff and she's the only sturdy thing that he can grab on to before tumbling and shattering into insurmountable shards of excruciating, recondite suffering.

Sasuke would find comfort in her body, in the tender ministrations of her fingers on his hair, and she willingly submits to him. She lets him. At first it was because he looked doleful and desperate. Later on, it was for an obscure reason.

She felt warm when he felt warmed.

"I used to believed everyone would be free if I killed Itachi with these hands."

She doesn't know if that was ever enough to kill and be cruel—No, it can't be, and it shouldn't. Hinata knew what it's like to have loss. But she also knew she wasn't alone.

Hinata reached for his hand which rested on his thigh to cover it with her palm but he removed his hand to cover hers instead. Sasuke's fingers have elegant apexes, like a winter owl's pinions; by his hand his brother died, yet, it's so warm and gentle over hers. Yet, he is here, and he is her husband.

"In the end, after I took the last gasps of air from his lungs, I could still hear him breathe among the underbrush.

"And in the end, I'm the only one who has to live through the bondage—the moment everyone died, they were freed—and I will never know if that was for the better or for the worse... Freed from a world where power is used to destroy when it can otherwise protect."

If an embrace could make it all vanish, she would go to him right now. But that would tip the boat over.

"Everyone—Now… Did it change? Was Naruto and Sakura able to make it change?" Hinata asked, the softness in her voice almost failing. Her cheeks throbbed and the veins within felt incinerated; even just a little bit, was she also able to make it change?

Sasuke was vagrant; no one could embrace the pain he felt so strongly inside his young heart. He sojourned far, not even caring if he'd be back; if he would hurt and lost his soul. If he really did determine to destroy everything, himself included, what terror was the thought of him not giving her flowers, never ever laying by her bedside; of her never feeling his kisses—not even once in her lifetime—and never hearing him call her name like Hinata could summon something out of the void.

Her chest hurt, as if long, horrid fangs of a dreaded beast punctured her beating heart, but she couldn't even cry.

"The flowers—what do they mean Sasuke-kun?" Hinata's lips trembled. She had pressed each lily he had given her and she is yet to classify their meaning. Hanakotoba? Or perhaps something else that she finds him waiting, yearning for but not demanding.

He just looked at her straight in the eye and she searched for the gleam that from time to time would flicker there. Will it appear even through dark spills of throe—the blood yoked on his shoulders and stained on his hands?

It didn't. The obsidian jewels were unmoving and dark as the corners of the night.

Here merely gave her a slight tilting of his mouth, barely a muted smile, and threw his strong hands on the wooden oars, removing his touch from her.

"I told you. It's just to ask for favors." Then Sasuke began to scull back.

When they were back on land, he didn't hold her hand anymore. The moon was almost at its peak, glowing stronger and more profound. He walked a few steps ahead of her on the wooden bridge. Hinata watched his back as he strode with a constant gait—seamless, cold, not needing and wanting anything.

"Senbei, Mister? Care to spare some change to feed my siblings at home?" said a young girl, reaching out a bundle of rice crackers while shivering with only a patched coat and trousers on.

Sasuke reached for his wallet and handed the girl some bills.

"Keep the change," Sasuke muttered.

"Mister, even for everything this is too much! I can't accept—"

"Hn." Sasuke grabbed the bundle of rice crackers from her stiff fingers and went on.

The girl stood awed, grateful for the stranger's kindness.

 _"Arigatou gozaimasu!"_ She said as she bowed her head low. Then, she felt a warm hollowness hauled over her back. She jumped in shock only to find a beautiful woman smiling at her while holding out a silken haori beneath a black long coat.

" _Gomenasai_. Did I scare you? If you don't mind, take these to shield you from the cold, and hurry home, alright?"

Her spellbinding lilac eyes, the maple leaves strewn across her kimono, and the pretty white flowers she held—no doubt about it—she's a Konohagakure enchantress who watches over children at night.

 _"H-hai… arigatou,_ " replied the young girl, now clad with newfound comfort over her shoulders. She looked up, in a daze, to the gorgeous enchantress who waved her goodbye—she seemed to be in a hurry. Maybe off to help another needy child on the way.

Hinata determined she will go to his side. And, it doesn't matter if she ends up tipping off the boat.

Trotting in her zouri, she chased after him, the cold air hitting her face and neck. Hairs were standing up on her nape. His lonely form walking brusquely while carrying a bunch of rice crackers with characteristic nonchalance made her smile. The moment she caught up to him and held him by the arm, the boat sank and Hinata will drag him along, down the depths. No one can rescue them and they don't need to be.

"Sasuke-kun, I love you," she said.

And before he could react, she cupped his face and leaned over, on tiptoes, to kiss him, her breath was an erratic as she savored his soft lips on her own. When she pulled back and he was able to breath again, she pushed her lips back in, parting slightly to slide over and feel more of him. Sasuke placed a hand on the small of her back and deepened the kiss in slow moving and mindful motions. When they broke the kiss, Hinata's mouth lingered close to Sasuke's, blushing in bright red and her eyes firm upon his; she wanted to see it again, and it came—a shooting star across the obsidian night sky.

People walked past and Hinata pressed her heels back on her footwear. They murmured.

Kissing on the streets. Former criminal. Hyuuga's eldest. Married. Unthinkable.

But it was all dulled by the thunderous pumping of her veins inside her ears. She had done quite a few unthinkable things tonight with Sasuke, even going so far as kissing him in public. Something is happening inside her. She looked at him and giggled. His face just stayed an astonished expression, barely registering everything that happened. Hinata pulled a pink kerchief from the bosom hem of her huomongi and wiped off the lipstick stains on his mouth.

"Hinata—"

She brought her chest closer to his and whispered on his ear.

"I'm cold. Let's hurry home."

Her fingers linger slowly, beneath his arm, on his wing muscle down to his hip and she rested her freezing hand there.

He grabbed her hand to make haste, but soon stopped, turned, and scooped her up.

"Sasuke-kun!" Hinata yelped.

"Hold on tight," he replied, his sharp features made stark and commanding by the beams of the moonlight.

Sasuke took a leap and sprinted above the shingled roofs, every thrust of his foot on the surface blazing like the wind, light on its impact, almost soaring in its momentum. And when he'd jump from one edifice onto another, the onset was exhilarating, like breath suspends and seeps out the pores of Hinata's skin, and landing upon landing, she buries her face closer to his neck, the muscles taut, the powerful lines of surging chakra like a force of nature. And the scent of moisture budding on his skin made her insides twist and turn and clench; a letch in her flesh, so gripping and gnawing, to melt, to be burned, to be marked, to be wrung dry by his ardent hands.

つづく

* * *

Daifuku Mochiin Corner! 田

Thank you all for the reviews, the love and those who follow this story. Know that I try my best to send you my personal thanks and I feel deeply honored and privileged to be receiving all your encouragements.

Some vocabulary:

Anko - red bean paste

Wagashi - traditional Japanese sweets (they look really pretty)

Zouri - flat Japanese sandals that look like flip flops

Haori - a formal kimono overcoat

Senbei - good ol' Japanese rice crackers

Also in "He used crass and rude words, telling people to shut up—even Hinata's timid young self—in order to drive them all away," there was a scene in Naruto the Movie: Bonds where Sasuke did just that. That was a legit SasuHina moment. They're not close so he could've just ignored it but why did he bother telling her to shut up? Well, my friends, the answer lies in White Lily Part I, Paragraph 13: "He should not be weak but just hearing her call his name in timid resolution was enough to make his mind and senses flare and falter with incoherent excitement." (Hahaha! I can't help it.)


	14. XI

WARNING: Rated M (NC-17) for a half and a quarter Lemon. Terrible lemons. Terrible lemons.

With the Hyuuga gates in sight, Sasuke leaped down and set Hinata on her feet. He will by no means breach the compound gates and soar across the Hyuuga aerial territory—you just don't because doing so would be activating a hundred byakugan eyes; utterly hyperbolic for a privy affair. Hinata's fringe was a bit tousled and Sasuke brushed his fingers through a few strands. But the look in her eyes, the begging hunger as his fingertips lightly brushed on her skin—Hinata missed him in ways more that he anticipated; not to mention, he was confessed to by the very woman, the very girl he deemed impossible to truly hold around his arms. Raze! Banishment to the former unrequited, turmoil of a love! Mentally muttering an apology to his father-in-law, he has finally left their twain league.

As they entered the gates, the guards greeted them and Sasuke gave the packs of rice crackers to the one on the right.

"Share this with your… friends." Queer, he knows. He should've used "colleagues"—tepid and removed. But if there are people he should be grateful towards, for the ruptured bursting of strange pleasant flavors inside his chest, it would be those people. Those who never gave up on him; those who told him to go after what he truly wanted despite thoroughly undeserving. Friends.

"Uh… _Doumo_ , Uchiha-sama," the Hyuuga guard answered as he scratched the back of his head at the unexpected gesture and the irony. A handful of their training sessions as guards for the Hyuuga clan with the head of the Uchiha clan are never "friendly". It was do-or-die. He mentored them with an iron hand.

The couple, lead by the husband, skittered on the carved stone pathway like juvenile paramours fleeing to elope. The two guards keeping their shift for the night could only look at each other questioningly. As the winds breezed through behind the walls, the pink carnations nodded in agreement.

* * *

The moment Hinata closed the paper doors, Sasuke grabbed her arms, elevating them overhead, and immediately pinned her on the adjacent wall. He covered her lips with his frantic mouth and they melded their tongues together. Hinata gasped for air but Sasuke was aching to feel more of her in his mouth and so he trailed open mouth kisses along her jaw and neck, brushing his impatient tongue along her coveted skin. She tasted so sweet, so achingly sweet with a bit of salt, and he's more than willing to be lost in her, to be drunk with her saccharinity. A stifled moan escaped her throat. She wriggled her wrist out and pushed him lightly on the chest, shaking her head.

 _Not here? Alright_ , he thought with slight disappointment, but he followed her close, creating friction between them as she removed her zouri and proceeded to the kitchen not removing the tabi socks on her feet.

She told him she has to place the lilies in a vase with water before they proceed to the bedroom. He smirked. The red lush tint smudged so messily on her mouth and it was an arousing sight. He leaned on the counter as she turned on the lights and searched glasswares inside the cabinets. He cast glances on her bare nape and protruding vertebrae as she bent down, and her marvelous, curvaceous bottom, exposed when she stood behind the sink in spite of the silk fabric.

The glass vase was almost filled midpoint over the faucet when he drew close and fondled her buttocks and nibbled on the back of her neck. She placed the lily stems inside the vase and settled it aside, removing herself from him. Hinata turned to face his direction, blush glaring on her face. He moved closer to her but she ran away from the kitchen down the corridor leading to their room.

Is she testing his patience? Is this a game of chase they're going to play? Does she intend to let him hustle before a reward? The bouts of her weirdness sometimes. He chased after Hinata anyway, and when he twisted on the doorknob, meek hands were restraining on the other side.

 _What is Hinata going at?_

Is she suddenly backing out after inviting him purposefully like that? By no means will he let her leave him to relieve himself, the vixen!

"S-s-sasuke-kun! Please count to ten… no—fifteen!—before you enter the door. I-I did not lock it so you have to promise me, okay?" she said, her voice stuttering and muffled behind the cedar platform.

"Hn." She could hear his scoff and irritation hidden by the mere pronunciation.

" _O-onegai._ Y-you definitely can't enter before fifteen!"

"Onetwothreefour," the numbers abrupt and begrudging as they rolled off his tongue.

"Y-you have to count slowly," she pleaded.

This is getting on his nerves. He might as well break the cedar door and just get it started with. Why is Hinata acting like this when they've done it a few times already, all at his initiation?

"One… two… three." He began counting like a retard, each number more toilsome than the first—not to mention, its calming, diminishing effect. The things he'd do for Hinata; his drive will be gone before he reaches fifteen. Maybe that was her plan all along. Because she wanted to back out on her suggestion, she's asking him to calm his libido—as if! He went on eleven to fifteen in a hurry and flung the door open, his temper threatening to flare. But then, he saw her silhouette standing on their bed.

The moonlight benign against the shadows revealed her hair now untied and freely cascading down her shoulders, the smudge of red paint wiped off from her serene, noble face, and her white feet bare on the edge of the mattress. She looked at him, her innocent eyes urging him to come closer, regal in her persuasion.

She was definitely up to something and his heart began beating faster at this as he locked the door tight and secure.

Hinata never removed her gaze—steady and fearless but surrendering. She pulled on the red cord _obijime_ , removing the amber resin _obidome_ along with it. She held it out, daring him to take it. Sasuke took the cord with the resin brooch as she proceeded to unwrapping the obi around her waist. The sound of silk brushing against silk was reminiscent of a sword being unsheathed, lethal and adrenergic as she made it fall on the floor.

The vixen wants a tamed, obedient man and so Sasuke picked up the sash and when he held his head up, she slipped out the _huomongi_ , revealing her white _nagajuban_ robe. She let it fall on him, easily casting her fragrant spell of aloe wood and lavender like a _genjutsu_ that paralyzes your thoughts, enslaving you to her wiles.

"Please put that aside then come back to me," she said, her face flushed but her voice was firm and unafraid.

He propped her garments carefully on top of a wooden table on the far end of the room, inside Hinata's closet. He walked almost mechanically, like under a hallucination, because his consciousness was floating and it was unreal: Hinata showing herself as she undress, as if demanding him to savor her with his eyes.

When he returned, she ran her fingers along his jaws and lifted his chin up to kiss him. It was chaste, a series of pecks and nibbles on his lips and at the tip of his nose but it wasn't enough, so he placed his hand at the back of her head and forced his tongue inside her mouth. Her breath sharpened and she guided his hand on her nape to her breast.

Sasuke kneaded through the breasts felt different contained by a material that's coarse and netted. She moaned, her face giving in to the pleasure, thoroughly aroused without restraint. He reveled at this unbashful exhibition of Hinata savoring his ministrations. He moved his hands to remove the undersash. When it was done, Hinata slipped the _nagajuban_ off her shoulders, exposing herself, scantily clad in black lace lingerie.

He was rendered speechless and immobile; his _doujutsu_ suddenly activated.

"I-is it not to your liking, Sasuke-kun?" she asked, nibbling on her lip. "U-um...s-some w-wives d-do t-this f-for their h-husbands s-so... L-like I-Ino-san or S-Sakura-san..." She kept looking at him then away, uncertain. "D-does it n-n-not s-suit m-me a-after a-all?"

Was that her idea of a joke? Did she even look at herself in the mirror?

"Hinata, tell me honestly. Since when did you start wearing this?"

He ran his fingers lazily along her toned, alabaster calves, tracing circles up to the back of her knees. She began to whimper. Sasuke planted a kiss on her chest, lightly sucking on the length down her abdomen as he traced the shape of her thighs up. With a flick of his tongue, he swirled her belly button, grazing his teeth down the supple flesh on her hips, mindful of the shortness of her breath, the fluttering of her eyelids. He slowly crawled two digits inside her dripping heat.

" _Ahh._ " She arched her back, gripping on his shoulders when her knees began to buckle.

"Tell me," Sasuke said in a low, sultry voice. He could see her ashen pink nipples hardening on the lacy surface which bound her luscious breasts to condense its cleaving protrusion for a tormenting display.

"B-before I entered the bathroom to wash y-your back."

"I knew it, the bath robe hinted something." His fingers moved in lilting steady rhythm. "You drive me crazy."

"Sasuke-kun— _mn…hahh_..." Each delicate cry caused more blood to rush down his painful groin but he proved to have developed control over the time he spent being intimate with her.

He dipped his nose on the cleavage of her breasts, immersing in the gentle scent which can only be found within, warm and squishy. Her dark locks fell around them, like the cascades of a weeping willow where he laid at its trunk and pondered about death, his broken bones and the blood seeping out, all the while reaching out for the gray skies with a trembling hand, and how a dream had led to his defeat. Because he had been such a pathetic, importunate destitute leech of a mongrel, because he is all sorts of adjectives, Hinata should suffocate him more—to suffocate him good and never let him go.

"Touch me more," she pleaded, a clawing need echoing in her voice.

He was more than inclined to abide. She was soft against him, her body bending at his discretion and melted into him, becoming one.

* * *

•••

* * *

It was past breakfast and Hinata's yet to get out of her room.

Hanabi knocked on her sister's door but there was no answer. According to the servants, her brother-in-law had taken her sister for a date last night—that is after being gone for so long that Hinata would be intruding her peace alone sometimes. Well, at least, Hinata's probably happy about it—which is incongruous with skipping breakfast! She doesn't care about the white lily man not being there to partake with them.

When he's staying at their compound, he'd go out at dawn, somewhere to probably train and he would come back just for breakfast. When he's out on a mission, it's like he had never been there in the first place and Hinata's the only one who probably remembers and bothers herself about her husband, and, oh, the sallow, dehydrated, pickled plum-looking elders who pry into their private life unwarranted, asking when was the last sexual intercourse and imposing unsolicited hot tips about auspicious times for popping out babies—a Sharingan-Byakugan freak of their liking, long overdue accordingly since it's almost winter and they were wed early summer—according to how vain the moon and the sun are feeling, showing either all or part of it's countenance, and when the stars want to be flirty and meet up and planetary motion whatnot.

Lengthy, she knows. That's how the ancients talked.

But really, nobody knows how their babies would come to be, and definitely not soon. The white lily man is frequently away and he's not really lovey-dovey with her sister—she bet their first time was the last time. Thank goodness because the mere thought is disturbing! Everybody knows the Hyuuga are rigid with preserving their bloodline. Her sister's marriage to the Uchiha is an exception—an experiment—because the ancients think he's managed to make his _doujutsu_ oh so powerful.

Hinata really shouldn't be skipping breakfast. Hanabi cares about that. She knocked for the fifth time and still, there was no answer.

Sasuke and Hinata decided to bathe together after a sultry, messy night and just as they entered the tub, Hinata reached down on the floor to properly tuck her oil flasks in the corner. Sasuke's eyes widened at the view, full and rounded; pinkish like ripe peach. The high ddefinition of her silky inner folds, leading to her profuse heat. The truth of its form and being in daylight was astounding.

His neurons somehow found a way to relate her bending over to a fictional incident written in Icha Icha—there, his brain voiced it out loud, no euphemisms, no cover up—and he wanted to try it with his wife. Curse the books! But he asked for it, kindly, somewhere along the lines of "brace and lean on the tub" while he traced a finger in sensitive areas, and Hinata yielded to his strange request.

She found herself barely supporting herself with enfeebled arms at the bathtub's rim, scrunched, kneeled submerged, and Sasuke held her by the waist, deeply and slowly penetrating her, displacing hot water in the process. He was reaching new places, pleasurable places, and she moaned louder and higher. She asked for more and he hastened the pace while he fumbled for her breasts, tweaking on distended carnation buds, grunting and whispering her name like a mantra for protection, to keep him close, to keep him engulfed in the tightness and slickness of her hearth made of soft, sweltering flesh.

* * *

"Onee-sama," Hanabi called, raising her voice a little higher this time as she knocked for the _n_ th time. "Ugh!"

Exasperated, she leaned her ear close to the wooden door, hoping to hear a snore or something. Maybe she should go get the keys no matter how uncourteous that may be. Then, she heard a scream, maybe a wailing but it was very vague.

 _What if she's crying alone in the bathroom?_

Did Sasuke and Hinata fight?! The nerve of that white lily man! Hanabi had heard about long distance relationships always turning down the wrong way, moreover, the Uchiha is someone you cannot trust so easily.

"Poor Hinata nee-sama."

Going against taboo worthy of punishment in the Hyuuga household, she used her Byakugan, worried for her sister's well-being—a kind thought but mistakenly so.

She gripped at her chest as she raced down the corridor. _Air! Air for Hyuuga's sake!_

"Hanabi-sama, is something the matter?" asked a servant whom Hanabi just passed by the courtyard.

"Nothing!" she replied. Her pale face betrayed her answer.

She ran to the grassy lawns to let out the shock and disgust with heaving. Sisters should never see their sisters doing that. The chakra images inside Hinata's bathroom: a crippling, limping, dying creature—shrieking for dear life but perfectly receptive and indulgent— haplessly devoured and gnawed on by the terrifying _oni_ , _S_ _huten-douji_ (because he's a monstrosity!) all the while being engorged with a tense, impassioned inundation of flesh slapping against flesh.

Hinata will never be the same in her eyes ever again; the reality of what once was mere literary eroticism imbued upon her precious onee-sama's immaculate presence.

As for the lesson learned that day—it quickly making at the top of her _nindou_ —never, ever use the Byakugan to check up on your sister in her locked room, especially if she's married, and especially if she had been apart from her husband for almost over a month. Just don't.

つづく

* * *

Daifuku Mochiin Corner! (•̀ᴗ•́)

Cue: Serious and sorrowful music for strings

VTR: What are the secrets hidden behind closed doors?

One teenager from the Hidden village of Konoha found out the hard way.

(on screen, Hanabi Hyuuga childhood pictures)

Hanabi Hyuuga, just 14 years of age, an heiress to a prestigious family, haunted for life. The trauma of a witness, etched into her young mind.

Today at DM Corner TV, we give comfort, guidance and counseling with our host, Dr. Daifuku Mochiin, venerable Psychologist and confection.

Studio audiences clapping*

 **DM** : Thank you for your presence, all. No circumstance in life is ever predictable. There will be times where we feel horrified, angered and confused. But together, with the help of people around you-you can cope, recover, become stronger than ever to hold against life's tumultuous waves. Let us join Hanabi-chan in that road. Hanabi-chan, come here. *gentle smile* What a pretty girl you are.

Hanabi walks in, sits on the couch*

 **Hanabi** : *bows* Hello everyone. Domo arigato gozaimasu. I've been told this is some sort of a medical class.

 **DM** : Yes, it is. A class of people being there for each other, dedicated for the purpose of healing, therapy, Hanabi-chan.

 **Hanabi** : Don't call me that. We are not affiliated to warrant such familiarity.

 **DM** : Eh?

 **Hanabi** : Dr. Daifuku Mochiin, wasn't it? I've heard things about you: poser, stale confection, trying hard poet-none of these serve to make you credible or whatsoever. So tell me, why do you have a show? I am somehow led to believe that broadcasting regulatory bodies are not doing enough supervison to ensure that no charlatans televise rubbish content. Can you imagine? Trash, for the people, right at their faces.

Cue: Serious and sorrowful music for strings

 **DM** : I...I... *Teary-eyed* I-I-I can't... PD-san, I can't do this.

VTR: DM Corner TV will be right back after these messages.

Cue: Retro groovy music

Studio audiences chant _DM! DM! DM!*_

 **DM** : Thank you everyone. That was so unprofessional, forgive me. But now, I am back and ready to kick like a horse.

 **Hanabi** : You look like it's excrement too.

 **DM** : *Inhales, exhales* Whoo! You know what, Hyuuga-san, you're just fourteen, I forgive you. You're going through something, I understand. But one thing, "The oni, Shuten-douji."

Hanabi freezes on her seat*

 **DM** : For those who don't know, the oni in Japanese folklore are "...demons, devils, ogres or trolls." There are many stories about Shuten-douji but basically, he's a pretty boy who turned into an ogre capturing maidens, drinking their blood and eating their viscera.

Why is Sasuke the Shuten-douji, Hyuuga-san?

 **Hanabi** : Hellooo!:"D *Stands and waves at the audience* Today, Hanabi will sing and dance for everyone! It's Hanabi's favooorite song, "Sakura"!;3

Cue: Koto playing the Japanese folksong "Sakura"

 **Hanabi** : *arms flailing* _Sakura,_ _sakura_ / _Yayoī_ _sora wa_ / _Kyun~!/ Miwatasu kagiri/ an~an~/Kasumi ka? Kumo ka?/_

Hanabi is tired:3 But it was a lot of fun!:D

Confused audience appalud*

 **DM** : Hyuga-san, I shall repeat the question. Why is Sasuke the Shuten-douji?

 **Hanabi** : It's Hanabi-chan, DM-tan. *winks* Hanabi-chan loves to sing! It makes me forget about a looot of things:3

 **DM** : It must be hard, I mean you're still a minor but we have to know. Why do you think Sasuke is the Shuten-douji? Which part of Sasuke is a monstrosity? Is it his humongous energy or feral movement or maybe "that" part? Did you see "that"-

 **Hanabi** : YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING! *tears the sofa, cuts table in half* AAARRRGGGHHH! *throws table at DM's face*

 **DM** : *Nosebleed* Restrain her. Tranquilizer shot please, PD-san... What?... I'm being professional. Vets do it too. *Parries a flying shoe*

Hanabi grabs DM, starts punching DM like a (cute, fluffy) punching bag*

 **Hanabi** : Aaaarrgh! *punches* My beautiful onee-sama! *cries* Waahahahaa! Haaaaaaa! *chokes DM*

 **DM** : It's o-okay... *turning into a blue mochi* J-just let... it all ...out. I'm...used to th... is.

Hanabi stops, DM is grateful for the gift of life*

 **Hanabi** : *wipes face* This has been decent and all. It's not like I'm entirely ignorant. Just a bit shocked, that's all. No big deal about it.

 **DM** : *coughs red bean paste* Aww, glad to have helped Hanabi-chan. I just hope my insurance covers these injuries. I think a rib punctured my lung.

 **Hanabi** : Yes. *Brightly smiling* As a matter of fact, I'd like to make sure that the next time we see each other, your empty head is waiting to be cut on a guillotine.

 **DM** : Aww, gee thanks. You don't have too...

PD-san, can I have your job?

Studio audiences laughs for real*

 **DM** : I... I wasn't joking. I'm tired going through such abuse! Sasuke made charred mochi out of me during 1st episode! And now-don't cut me off! Why do I have-

Cue: Retro groovy music

* * *

Some vocabulary:

Genkan - main entrance that has a lower level floor where you remove your shoes

Nagajuban - a robe worn under a kimono


	15. XII

The pediatric ward patients were the last ones Hinata visited for the day and her shift was over. Sunset tones of ochre yellow and dimmed orange hues passed through the polyester blinds veiling the glass windows. The corridors with pure white tile flooring were silent except for the romping steps of Hinata's white shoes and some distant chatter. Disinfectant and bleach permeated the air, those scents being the identity of the space, the halls of healing and recuperation. Eyeing her pink-haired colleague who is engrossed over some records, she paced forward.

"Hey Sakura-san, are you almost finished?" she asked.

"Oh, Hinata… hmm," Sakura replied, turning her head slightly to acknowledge Hinata's presence, still bent over penning the records. "Yep, almost."

"Don't tire too much, okay?"

Proceeding her way, Hinata hummed a subtle tune as loving as a lullaby in warm, lush colors against the stark, rigid structure of the hospital's interiors. When Sakura caught up, Hinata beamed sweetly at her.

"Hinata, you're blooming!"

Hinata lightly giggled. "You are blooming too, Sakura-san. Thank you."

"No, no… You're radiating, more than usual. Tell me, did something really good happen."

She blushed at Sakura's comment. "A-actually…"

Just as she was about to continue, a voice so familiar in its warm undertones along hints of raspiness in the chords called out her interlocutor's name.

"Sakura-chan!" Then Hinata in cheery salutation. Her heart skipped a beat.

It was Naruto, still bright as ever like the sunflower at summer in his orange outfit and behind him was Sasuke, a valiant figure in navy blue training gear.

"Hinata," Sasuke muttered.

"You came, Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun." Hinata bowed at them, especially smiling at Sasuke. It is the first time he visited her at work.

"Sasuke-kun you're back! We missed you!" Sakura leaned to Sasuke giving him a small hug and cordially patted his shoulder.

"Sakura," he replied, returning the gesture with a tap on her back.

"Well, we decided to ask you girls out for ramen at Ichiraku's. How about it Sakura-chan?" Naruto said, flashing an awkward grimace.

Sakura's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "I think it's only you who decided, Naruto! Remember what I told you about overe—"

"Overeating ramen, I know. I'm going to be careful, okay?" Naruto whispered to Sakura, "It's not like you're not there to—" She jabbed him on the arm and Naruto groaned, clutching on the hit.

"Geez, you can't be acting like a kid all the time," Sakura reprimanded, livid in her expression.

"But for real though, Sakura-chan, Sasuke doesn't mind!"

Sakura glanced at Sasuke who looked at Hinata, asking for her opinion.

"I don't mind ramen," Hinata replied. She used to ate bowls of it for her fondness of a certain someone.

"Then I also don't," Sasuke added.

Naruto hoorayed as he hung his arms over Sakura and Sasuke's shoulders. Hinata chortled at the sight. Their camaraderie as the old Team 7 still shines through. Also, Sasuke cuddled up together with a bosom friend gave her immense fulfillment.

"If you'lI excuse me, I shall change first," Hinata turned to walk towards the room at the far right end of the hospital's corridor.

"Hinata, wait." Sasuke broke away from Naruto's clamping arm catching up to Hinata.

"He's crazy over her," Naruto commented as they watched the Uchiha couple.

"Unbelievably so. I mean, who would've noticed—I couldn't even," Sakura snorted, remembering everything she and Ino had done in the past just to get Sasuke's attention.

"Maybe I knew way back, but we didn't really talk about girls. But somehow, I knew Hinata was important to him. When we were at the academy, I'd catch him looking at her. He never did that with other girls." Naruto's clear blue irises darted at her. "Are you jealous?"

Sakura placed a sounding peck on his whiskered cheek. "No."

When Sasuke held Hinata's hand as she opened the door to the break room, Sakura felt a slight pang. But she promised herself she was over it.

"The holding of the hand is something we've never seen before, have we Naruto?" remarked Sakura, brushing off the twist of pain inside.

"Yeah. For years we've fought each other and I couldn't really imagine Sasuke holding hands like that with anybody."

"Are you jealous?" Sakura asked, smiling cheekily.

Naruto gently hooked his arm on her neck and tickled her side with his unoccupied hand. Hysterical laughter filled the aseptic passageway until she elbowed her husband on the stomach. The two of them have always been demonstrative and unbashful towards showing affection or distaste towards each other.

Sasuke and Hinata was a different story altogether.

Most of Sasuke's courting consisted of flowers, Hyuuga compound visitations, terse conversations but without endearing physical contact, ever. Not once in the history of Konoha will you ever see them holding hands or wiping off soup residue at the corners of the mouth like what Hinata is doing to Sasuke as of the moment.

The gesture, in it's unreality, made Naruto choke on his ramen, even blushing when Sakura caught him staring.

"Hey Naruto," the Ichiraku's old man leaned to whisper to the surprised blond. "Did you know that those two were seen kissing on the street last night?"

A furtive smile perched on Sakura's lips.

There was an old saying, "A frog in a well will never know the ocean". She had wanted to be Sasuke's well, so consumed in the idea that she understood him, his pain and sadness, even vindicating of his incorrigible choices, because she believed that she could give him what he needed. But Sasuke is not a frog in a well. Just like his avian summon, he is a hawk with strong wings and sharp, piercing talons. He had hurt her but she never wanted to let go. She never even thought about it.

However, ironic was that day when she found Sasuke scooping out soil, not even caring about the putrid manure he carefully mixed in. Sakura had never felt so fortunate, a paradox in spite of herself, because it all became clear. The hawk's sunny sky is not her; and that was all she needed to lay her worn-out, idle affections to rest. She cried her eyes out at Naruto's apartment, just wanting someone to bawl at, nothing more. But he fed her while his cerulean eyes reflected her own pain. Those were the eyes who cried with her, smiled at her, laughed with her and in silence, they told her, at that moment, that he'd make her a flower garden too, manure and all, if she'd ask. Without grumbling, she ate his food as if she had starved for days. Because she really did. For years actually.

There was freedom in knowing Sasuke was wanting too, even if it was for someone else.

After Ichiraku's, the couples bade each other goodbye. Sasuke and Hinata's fingers were intertwined.

"Ne, Sakura-chan… Sasuke… he looked really… happy."

Sakura chortled at Naruto's gaping expression. "Why, you never thought he'd ever be happy?"

The blond faced his wife, bright full moon reflected on his pellucid orbs of ocean blue. "Un," he nodded.

Their figures drew closer together in shadows heading home for the night.

"I also didn't think he'd ever be happy, too."

Wrapping his arm around Sakura's waist, he kissed her head and drew in air to inhale her scent. "I'm glad for him though—that he has Hinata. It seems that Kakashi-sensei's bound to send him out again in a couple of weeks."

She buried her face on his neck. He is warm while the air, signaling the nearing of winter, was chilling her nose and ears. "I wish we could've done more for him." Running a palm across her belly, she thought about how she won't be able to eat as much later on because of the tiny being living inside.

"It couldn't be helped. All that mattered was he could be back."

* * *

That same evening, Hiashi invited Sasuke for tea.

They each sat on grey _zabuton_ opposite each other while a small ebony porcelain teapot rested on top of the _chabudai_. The open shoji doors led to a zen garden where select pebbles mantled the ground in manmade soft swirling patterns. The view of the moon was unhindered albeit for the cloud of mist rising in sinuous paths ascending from their teacups.

It was something they've done ever since Sasuke had come to him with a request he cannot refuse. Their talks over tea and even the silence that fills in-between was a way to form a bond, a connection from a distant past of Hiashi's concession. Sasuke knew his father-in-law to be a sentimental person that even the smallest thing from then must've been precious no matter how many seasons have passed, and the warriors had come and go, the young brazen women had turned to mothers, and to mothers bearing sons. And to the children, the rise and fall of Konohagakure.

"It seems that I have a lot to thank you for, Hiashi-san," Sasuke said, his fingers feeling against the fine smoothness of the porcelain teacup. "When I went there yesterday, I knew you took the time to look over while I was gone. You didn't have to."

"Don't mention it. Who else would do it if not me." Hiashi replied as he sipped a mouthful from his cup.

Sasuke smirked at his father-in-law's words. "Two years ago, you told me the same thing."

"Hn. It's good that you are reminded. That way, your juvenile errors are mitigated."

He is still blunt as usual. But not to the point that it piqued his nerves. Maybe the man used to, when Sasuke was but a child and Hiashi was just a nosy adult who wasn't family. Hiashi visited him more often than a stranger should and it was seen as something short of concern and more of annoyance in Sasuke's terms. Back then, even if he was Hinata's father, Sasuke never gave him the verification that he acknowledged Hiashi's part in his life no matter how acquainted the man was with his parents.

"By the way, my mother and her council are getting restless. They're beginning to think the marriage is unharmonious."

"It is by no means unharmonious." Sasuke raised a brow, knowing fully well that he and Hinata have been nothing but intimate since he returned from the recent mission.

"I noticed. I also heard gossips about my daughter's daring behavior in public last night. You are one fortunate man." Hiashi looked out the orifice, into the moon. Somehow, the luminesce sphere is troubling. "But I guess it can't be helped that you've been frequently away from her."

Sasuke eyed the leaf stalk standing afloat inside his cup. "Kakashi's sending me out after two weeks. This time, it might take longer than usual."

Hiashi's countenance steeled, thinking. He took a sip and cleared his throat. The thick porcelain cup made a sound as he put back on the surface. "You should talk to her about that. Else, she'd be forlorn upon your absence."

The corners of Sasuke's mouth turned up, trying hard to hide an uncharacteristic grin. He thought about her again. She has been dominating his thoughts ever since he came home; he thought about how it usually didn't matter.

Earlier, back during the day, he was summoned to the hokage's office. When he showed up at Kakashi's lair, his former teacher had a smug look on his face. Even veiled behind a black mask, nothing good comes out of a smug-looking Kakashi. It had always resulted to his great displeasure.

 _"Sasuke!" The grey-haired man cheerfully greeted._

 _… It was then that Sasuke knew his pervert of a former sensei was up to something._

 _… "How was your night? Were you able to rest well? Did you make Hinata 'happy'?"_

 _… Sasuke winced at the last word. He knew Kakashi meant something else. Even before he was wed, upon knowing his interest in Hinata, Kakashi had bombarded him with sexual innuendos and lascivious knowledge._

 _… "Come on, shall we talk over sake? You never tell me about your real application of the resources I've provided you with." Kakashi leaned into his mahogany desk, cluttered with tons of documents. "It's quite unfair you know. Back then, you were unknowing and asked me a lot of things, but now—"_

 _… "I never asked you things!" Sasuke almost lost his temper then and there._

 _… "You sound like someone who's not getting some. Is Hinata-chan not giving you any? Or maybe you have problems getting—you know."_

 _… This is why he has a certain dislike Kakashi. The pervert makes it seem so crass and repugnant. He huffed and resumed to an impervious, collected countenance._

 _… "Fine. Hinata and I are doing fine. Now, if you have nothing more to say, I shall write my report and submit it to you before the day ends." He turned and headed for the door._

 _… "After all the trouble I went through just to convince Akiko-chan to put something on your soups last night." Kakashi relaxed on his chair with his arms on the armrests and amusement creeping beneath his black mask._

 _… "You what?! Why would you know that?" Kakashi is really pushing it. A flash of his chokuto straight to the pervert's left eye would do it—he's in a very vulnerable position right now, leaning back on his chair. That will definitely silence him._

 _… "I'm hokage, remember?" He tossed his feet to settle on top of his desk. "It was basically just some Ikarisou for you and Hinata. So, how was it?"_

 _… "Hn. There was no need." He didn't feel any different as there was definitely no lack of drive or desire—the Ikarisou is totally wasted on him. Suddenly, he got the feeling that that was not the first time Kakashi tinkered with his food. For Hinata though, she was more sensitive than usual last night. He recalled how her moans were so beautifully expressive in it's modest quality. Maybe he should thank Kakashi after all. How about never. "I'm going," Sasuke added._

 _… "Alright, I give up! Since you're no fun, here," Kakashi then grabbed a folder and placed it on top of a messy pile on his desk._

 _… Sasuke grabbed the file. Tracing with his fingers along the edges, he scanned the pages as his eyes perused on the words._

 _… Furuike. Formerly irrelevant shinobi rebels in the Water Country now possessing chakra-infused weaponry and doujutsu similar in form to Sharingan. Forehead seals._

 _… "This is no laughing matter," Sasuke commented. "If Furuike really possess these weapons, civil strife will ensue. Moreover, a doujutsu similar to the Sharingan." The Mizu no Kuni had a bloody history with kekkei genkai._

 _… "The Water Daimyo is bound to attend Kirigakure's Chuunin exams in a month but the Furuike sent a threat against his life." Kakashi rose from the chairback and propped his elbows on the desk. "Since you are an Uchiha and a possessor of Sharingan, the Kirigakure is requesting your assistance with regards to security."_

 _… "But this could pose a threat of a greater scope. The Sharingan is not something anyone can easily get their hands on. This entails something more than what is currently known."_

 _… "You're right." The hokage pinched his nose bridge. "As head of the council, I'm sending you to investigate. Information is scarce—withheld even, knowing people of the Mist—and nothing is known about who owns the seal. The Kirigakure's anbu suggests that the forehead seal induces chakra manipulation that brings about a DNA modification."_

 _… "A seal-induced dojutsu. Not by progeny or organ transfers. Even Orochimaru couldn't accomplish that—a kekkei genkai anyone could have."_

 _… "If their hypothesis turns to be out accurate, whoever is casting those seals must be eliminated as soon as possible before it creates major catastrophe."_

 _… "I shall prepare to depart immediately."_

 _… The one-eyed man stared at him. "Sasuke-'kun', you don't sound like a newly married man at all," Kakashi clicked his tongue and shook his head. "You talk about departure so easily like that. Imagine if I didn't make an appeal to other kage to give you a honeymoon break."_

 _… "Technically, I'm not newly married. The wedding was five months ago," Sasuke stated as a matter of fact. "Surely you know I was designated by verdict of the council—which you are part of—for this purpose. To ensure that none of my clan's relics or anything related thereof are abused to subvert. The earlier I act, the better."_

 _… "You don't understand a thing." Kakashi rolls his eyes. "You will not be needed until two weeks from now where you'll be involved in securing parameters and drafting contingency plans. As for now, Kirigakure is holding investigations on their own."_

 _… Sasuke just stood silent. Which part did he not understand? Response to the call of duty? Surely not, especially if the Uchiha is involved. Dedication to accomplishment? He always made sure to see things through to the end._

 _… "You're not going anywhere unless I say so," the gray haired man continued. "Hinata will be lonely if I take you almost immediately as soon as you returned. That would be just cruel."_

 _… He just stared at his former teacher, eyes looking out into oblivion as a tingling realization—something unfamiliar—crept up his mind._

He was so used to being alone that ignoring others became a habitude. Whether people became forlorn or lonely at his absence, nothing was worth greater than his pursuits. It was all he had because if he didn't press on and hardened his heart, he'd falter and succumb to decay—he'd be a leper who's a slave to agony.

The Uchiha blood was a gushing stream of hatred, bringing forth creatures accursed right from birth. Lurid was his mother's smile and warm hands. Memories of his father's impassive countenance became asphyxiating sprawls of vileness. All who were dear with a fan crested on their backs, they were all covered with blood, staining his brother's protective hands who used to snuggle him close as they read scrolls together.

Thoughts of being with Hinata used to be nothing more than passing, flickered suggestions of his burdened psyche. It was clear to Sasuke that nobody missed him—it never mattered. No one so loved and adored had hugged his clothes in her bosom while she slept.

つづく

* * *

Daifuku Mochiin Corner! 田

To all lone readers out there, thank you for your reviews, for the love and for following this story! As my great mochi jiji always say, "many a lone reader is a pack of readers."

Ikarisou - Scientific name: Epimedium grandiflorum; Said to be an aphrodisiac for both male and female (Disclaimer: I am just a lowly mochi. I have no idea about this.)

Furu ike - lit. old pond

Vii


	16. XIII

URGENT WARNING: Rated M (NC-17) for a full chapter lemon. Don't read if you don't like lemons. Terrible, terrible lemon. The lemon muses fried my brains and made me write weird things.

His dear wife was already asleep when he entered their room. Tucking himself under the duvet, Sasuke moved closer to Hinata. She roused from sleep, twisting her body to look at her husband through drowsy eyes.

"Sasuke-kun…" she said, nuzzling the crest of his shoulder.

"Hinata." His hands were flat on her back. "I have another mission two weeks from now."

She was silent and for a while Sasuke could only hear her breath; her contemplation in gusts of air against his skin.

"When will you be back?"

"In a month or two. Perhaps even longer. Nothing is definitive. I will be sent to investigate."

He felt her tense up in his hold so he took her by the chin to and tears welled up in her eyes. She kissed him on the lips and soothed him with her gentle fingers, brushing his raven locks, sighing as she parted from him.

"I love your eyes," she said, fingers ghosting around his brow bone and cheek. "What does Sasuke-kun like about me?"

Without hesitation, he kissed her eyelids. He kissed the tip of her nose. He kissed a trail from her cheekbones to her lips, all the way down her neck, wet kisses laid on her collarbones and the skin of her shoulders. He pulled down the strap of her nightgown and bit the side of her neck, nibbling on the soft flesh.

She moaned. Sweet and provocative.

His left hand cupped her breast, just wrapping around the mound and brushing his thumb across the pert nipple through the silk fabric and he watched her teeth pulling on her lip, her breath tensing against her throat. He slowly peeled away her night gown, exposing her. The caress of his fingers on the undersides made a strangled cry, uncontrolled motions in her face, his digits dabbing feather light on the softness of the skin, teasing her with wet fingertips.

He leaned close to her ear. "There are a lot but I really favor your sensitive breasts and your face when I fondle you."

Beyond her softness, right under her elegant bones, is her heart, far more beautiful than anything else.

"And more so when you're thoroughly aroused." The way she wholeheartedly accepted him into herself.

She mewled at his words, the rasp in his tone spreading hot like wild fire on her body. Becoming self conscious, Hinata pushed against Sasuke's chest, blushing madly while avoiding his gaze.

Sasuke smirked at her coy response and he dove head first into her chest, sucking so lightly on the ashen pink begging for attention.

"Mn… ah… S-sasuke-kun."

Their legs were tangled up together and Sasuke's arms wrapped around her waist, his fingers were scribes doodling beneath her cartilage, then sketching right over where her heart beats.

She cradled Sasuke's head in her arms as he moved on the other breast. "I-I w-wonder… hnn" she whimpered at the tug of his teeth.

"What is it?"

"Sasuke-kun's face when you were a baby, I wonder what it looked like." She smiled lovingly at him and closed her eyes. "I bet you were very adorable with thick raven hair and fluffy, soft cheeks." Hinata giggled and gazed at Sasuke with ray of joy reflecting on the shiny surface of her pearly orbs. "Then, you would be really small and sweet to cuddle in my arms."

Sasuke just looked back at her, sounds swallowed down his throat, numbed by his tongue.

Why is it that her words can shake him up so bad?

A deep trench pried open like an old wound and hot magma oozed like the abscess therein, liquefying and drenching the cracked, dry earth long forgotten by man and murdered from days on end by the merciless heat of the sun. Why are those words, freed from her lovely mouth, like the universe, seeming nothing and everything at the same time? Why is it that the more she buries and drowns him under her skin, strangling him with her kind words and submission, her care and her affections, all the more was he able to breathe? Why does he permit her to instill fear in his heart? Like when they sailed down Naka no Kawa and she mentioned the halt to a sweet continuation.

"As long as there's breath in me... "

The mere words slipping off her tongue were like steel daggers stabbing through his swollen heart. He wanted her to make him believe in eternity, that she'd be with him till the end of time—to beguile him into its possibility, but she didn't. The thought of him losing her was dark, cold and hellish but then again, with her mere words:

"I love you."

She was able to pull him back immediately. This reality of her is even more excruciating than the idea of her which he previously nursed in his turbulent mind. She overwhelms him.

"What's the matter?" Hinata asked.

Sasuke sat up and turned his back away from her. Hinata gently rubbed his back in soothing circles and leaned closer on his slouched form.

"Hinata, do you know you're viciously fatal?"

"Hm?"

"I own it. Your tactics are smart—only attacking me when I least expect it. I never expected anything in the first place."

Pondering upon his statement, she blinked considerably.

"That is not about training, isn't it?" she replied, her lips brushing against his jaw. "I don't really know but I think I understand. After all, right now, the only one who can really hurt me is you. It wasn't always Sasuke-kun but for a while now, I am certain it will only ever be Sasuke-kun."

"I hate that it wasn't always me." Turning his head to catch her lips, he brought her down, sharing an eager passionate kiss. "I want to give you everything you'll forget you even fell for that usuronkatchi."

"Naruto-kun is nothing of that sort!" Her face mocked petulance with a cute pout on her lips as she ran warm hands on his dampened cheeks.

"I liked you back when we were children." He leaned for another kiss.

"Ch-children?!"

His fingers invaded down, combing through frenzied streaks of hair and tweaking on a familiar spot. A bold red blush brought forth, widespread across Hinata's pale skin.

"Don't look at me like that," she coyly said, resting an arm above her eyes.

While he gently stimulated her with his digits one at a time, Sasuke pulled her arm off her face and was presented with a feverish inebriated expression on Hinata's face. "Does this feel good?"

She nodded and muffled a moan escaping her throat.

"Tell me what else feels good."

Hinata shot her eyes daringly at him but she bit her lower lip as if setting up her last defense before an earth-shattering revelation escapes her mouth. Sasuke drew his face close to hers, asking again for her demands.

"Your tongue," she whimpered and thrashed at the teasing movements of his fingers drenched inside her.

"My tongue where?" He loves to look at her breathlessness and when she'd squirm, exposing the unmarred expanse of her neck.

"There." She pointed down.

He teased her down and she jerked, letting out a squeak. Sasuke pulled her underwear and his tongue swirled over the elusive nubbin as he pressed her leg pressed against her stomach. Hinata's moans educed a crooned, sensual sung poetry.

"Aaaahhhh! S-Sasuke-kunn!" Her fingers gripped on his hair, her spine snapping to an archway.

He pumped inside her a bit more before lapping up her tangy essence.

"That was rather quick. And quite loud too." He smirked haughtily.

Hinata rose as she gasped. Her eyes widened like giant pairs of white parasols and she reminded Sasuke of stray cats caught stealing food. "Do you think they heard me?"

"I think I hear elders waking up."

She buried her face on her knees. Her silky tresses fell in languid suspension and parted from her nape. A harsh blush crept avidly down to her shoulders and back. She was red all over in an instant.

Then, Sasuke laughed.

He couldn't seem to stop. His lungs hurt but suddenly it was so light; what was previously hardened like compact soil, barren and unable to bear fruit, Hinata had cultivated gently in her hands. Hinata—a sunny place. His sunny place.

For a while, he just laid there and tears from when he laughed fell off the sides of his face, grazing down his hair where it lulled like moist of sweat—just like that when he couldn't even remember the last time he had truly laughed.

He could not and didn't want to.

When he sat up to look at Hinata, she was watching him all along, smiling. Somehow, he felt very embarrassed but was puzzled when his wife formed a hand seal, manifesting a dome shaped barrier ninjutsu around them. She stood on the bed and pulled the duvet over her head as she peeled off her nightie.

"I want to touch you." The words she uttered were clear and sharp as a sterling needle piercing through the darkness and the blanket like a cloak of fogs cascaded down her breathtaking figure.

"Go ahead," he replied, more than willing to oblige her curiosities. Certainly, she had shown subtle interests in exploration but she was never so direct.

Hinata sat in front of him while she pulled the duvet over their bodies as if to hide their presence, shrouding to avoid unwanted eyes as they infiltrate uncharted territory.

"What are you doing?" The light from the moon flowing into their window disappeared into the night under the covers.

"I don't want to feel like someone's watching."

"No one's watching, Hinata."

"Even so, it just feels like it."

He snorted. "Who would? At this time of the night?"

"Like otou-sama or Hanabi-chan."

"That's absur—" He was stopped when she gently cupped his face and kissed him. Well, he's not going to complain anymore. Hinata is a good kisser. Like when a poet or artist is captured by inspiration and Sasuke gives her the reins, she takes him to a place warm and all-consuming in it's magnanimity like truth rendered by her lips and timid licks. It was lilting like waves in slow and gentle rhythm and suddenly she bit on his lower lip, slightly tugging it and slithered her tongue inside his mouth.

When their mouths parted, a dangling silver thread of saliva had sewn them together. He felt a familiar blossom of nerves in his eyes and knew his Sharingan had activated as he watched Hinata's face, alluring in it's florid state. There was so much tenderness in her expression when she stroked his earlobe between her thumb and forefinger.

She nibbled on his other earlobe, landing wet kisses on the spot below his ear and sluggishly moved down the bony center of his neck and he couldn't help but moan. Hinata spread her hands under his shirt, sliding across the firm and solid muscular portions. She went underneath and started running her wet tongue from his abdomen to the center of his chest.

Sasuke gripped on the sheets, thoroughly stimulated by his sweet wife's movements veiled from view by his shirt. He had dreamt about this, played with her image in his filthy mind when he used to pleasure himself—Kami forbid Kakashi from knowing that—but what she's doing to him definitely feels better than he could have ever imagined.

"Hinata…"

His face contorted in pleasure when Hinata's hand sluggishly glided over his prominent arousal. His arms which supported his body shook like substandard structure columns, crumbling even with the slightest tectonic activity.

She removed herself from under his shirt, her hair somewhat disheveled as she pulled his sleeping garbs off his body. It was becoming harder to breath and rivulets of sweat dripped down his torso. Hinata drew his boxers down, eyeing his full erection with curiosity.

Out of nowhere, his voice laced with light pants said, "Curiosity killed the cat," forcing a smirk, shuddering as he fought control over his declining sanity.

"What do you mean?" She looked up to him, blinking through pretty dark lashes. She held him with both her hands and he groaned. "It's very warm!" her eyes shimmered with unbridled delight.

"Hinata!" His wife was turning into a bully. She caressed it and her face was one of childish marvel as she enclosed him more with earnest smoothing downward motions.

FACTS! He mentally swore. Facts! Facts! Facts! The string of internal curses goaded by extreme physical and psychological pleasure continued. Hinata pleasuring him, watching his impervious façade crumbling into a disconcerted begging fore—never had he felt so naked in her presence. Her fingers—those loving, tender fingers—stroking him like an injured bird, gently prodding him to submit to insanity. Should he ask for more? Tighter? Faster? The bird is not injured, he'd like to assure her. It definitely won't break. But it is glaringly turgid, and surely it is more than ecstatic to burst. Only facts can definitely help him right now.

He bore through the staggering torture and as if in parturition, he held his breath just to speak—the strain evident in his voice and breathing. "White lilies… are… toxic to cats." Sasuke thought about how he'd go through this ordeal and it might work. "If they ingest the pollen… it could be lethal for them." He will be able to hold it in.

"We don't have cats but they are very cute, aren't they?" She puckered her lips, kissing the moistened tip.

Sasuke's chakra expressed his stifled agony in frenzy streaks of swirling and scattered, misdirected lines as he groaned and his breath sprayed mists that also seemed to evaporate from his skin.

"Are you alright, Sasuke-kun?"

"Hinata... please!"

He yanked her arms up on his shoulders and fumbled to position himself to penetrate her. In a heartbeat, he pulled her hips down and they both screamed in synchrony. A condensed pungency dominated the sweltering humidity while their bodies latched on to each other and Sasuke was heaving from initial release.

"Remove the duvet," he demanded. The air was thinning and his arms were limp, his vision befogged.

"No, I want to stay like this for a while." She enclosed his body in a scorching embrace, their skin slimy with sweat. Strands of her hair stuck on his skin and her lavender scent decanted with pungent distillation besotted him.

"I love it when we're one like this. And your heart—how strong it beats within your chest." Hinata combed back his damp hair with her fingers, gazing deep into his eyes at the clarity of his face. "I love you, Sasuke."

They immersed into each other's kiss, their limbs in smooth gliding caresses, lubricated by mingled perspiration.

After a while, he guided her movements, gripping on her hips with firm hands and she followed in perfect concurrence while her breasts, in its heavy weight, lilted on his taut surface like a brush, thoroughly dipped in dark ink, painting across a wooden block in characters for branding, identity and possession. She rode him and her cries of unadulterated craving expressed, wan of previously held reservation.

Sharingan eyes perused on the grain of her skin, the lines forming patterns of gossamer web mantling the veins, the blood rushing within seeming to burst as she joins himself to her, greedily taking him in; the creases on her mouth wherefrom fragrant incense shoots out; the buds of her tongue and the shine of her teeth; spindly network of smaller veins crawling beneath her cheeks; the explosion of emotions on her eyes; the uncontrollable movement of her breasts as she whimpers and shudders. Sasuke committed every detail to memory as he knew this sensuous dance of hers was a rarity he was privileged to see for the first time.

She pulled him close and he devoured her comely neck in response, gorging his lungs with the perfume of her skin, feeling her clench and tighten, getting dangerously close. With a last plunge, they both reached climax—an explosion of stars in the vastness of space, spewing off to the ends of borders emerging. Then it spired into a microcosm of cadent cricket calls on a cold, quiet night contained in the trickle of a raindrop.

The white, thick blanket swooped down and the fluctuating chakra dome dispersed, scintillating flickers falling down around them, permitting the air to rush into their bodies. As the cool autumn breeze brushed on their overheated senses, it became apparent then, that there's a world for the two of them alone.

The moon peered through the drizzled glass window panes, shedding light on their spent, dripping forms, flushed and out of breath; their dark locks rumpled and clinging onto their skin. It began to rain.

"I love you too," he whispered. Even when someone like him is unworthy to talk about love, that it almost felt like a lie simmering in his tongue but she makes it alright to say it. He could feel her, every fiber, and she could feel him too. They held onto each other for long till their breaths evened out. The pattering of the rain muffled on the roof was a steady percussion.

"I'll tell Hiashi-san…"

She became alert and roused her head from its rest on his shoulder. "You can't tell otou-sama what I did!"

"I'm gonna tell Hiashi-san that his beautiful daughter makes me feel so good."

Hinata's face turned almost garish rubicund.

"You like that—your insides just..."

"D-don't tell otou-sama about anything we do in bed!"

He rubbed his nose on Hinata's. "You make me feel so good." He smirked. "There it is. You definitely like that."

Good. In its simplicity. Like he has always loved and has been loved all his life; like he was forgiving and the world had been forgiving.

つづく

* * *

Daifuku Mochiin Corner! 田

The barrier ninjutsu which Hinata used is just a simple soundproofing ninjutsu. I call it the SasuHina Privacy Barrier. (Awesome naming sense, I know.) People inside the barrier would feel just like how it is inside an airplane, but without aircon.


	17. XIV

As the sun was just rising over Konoha, Hanabi guided pink furry slippers along the hardwood floor to the dining room to eat breakfast and start the day early for her mission. Up ahead the corner, her sister's husband appeared but the air he held around him seemed slightly different.

" _Ohayou_ , Hanabi," Sasuke greeted.

"Oha—," she absentmindedly replied. _Wait, what?!_ Did she really hear it right? With mouth ran agape, her eyes followed his walking form and a weird throbbing startled her chest. Snobbish handsome people yield terrifying power. Once they pay you a bit of attention, your heart reacts unexpectedly. Good thing she's more perceptive than that. If he's trying to buy her wholehearted support or whatsoever it was that drove him to greet her in the morning, she's not giving it that easily.

"Hanabi-chan, _ohayou_ ," Hinata's voice greeted.

" _Ohayou_ Hinata nee—" As she tilted to face Hinata, the blinding radiance of her elder sister's smiling face had her squinting and she shielded her eyes with a hand. "Hinata nee-sama, you're sparkly."

Hinata softly giggled, "I don't know what you mean, Hanabi-chan, but I believe that's a compliment. You're sparkly too, my most beloved sister."

Hanabi was at loss for words, terrified even. Don't get her wrong—she's not an apathetic snob like some person roaming inside the Hyuuga compound, talking about tofu recipes with their father. Here's the deal: Hanabi Hyuuga was never "my most beloved sister." Variations from conventional habits always seem to indicate something. What are the repercussions if your sister suddenly starts referring to you like that?

As they ate breakfast, Hinata was being smiley, even deboning Sasuke's grilled mackerel and cutting it into smaller portions for him. Hanabi could only watch in utter disdain, rice falling off the eating apparatus she held in her hand. Rancor bid it's baleful presence inside her when Hinata giggled like a love-struck bubblehead and the Uchiha took the slice of fish which Hinata had proffered on his bowl. He then gazed back at her sister—a horribly lecherous gaze—as he put the sliver inside his mouth. The scene made Hanabi clench on her hashi.

 _Hinata nee-sama?_

The younger sibling sent a telepathic message from her seat across the table where she sat alone. Hinata placed another portion on Sasuke's bowl.

 _Hinata nee-sama, it's your most beloved sister._ _Look! Look here! My mackerel's not deboned._

Is it perhaps a husband's exclusive privilege? One does not know the full meaning of "Siblinghood is the beginning of estrangement" before it hits them outright. But then, there's also another saying, "Blood is thicker than water." Sisters will always have the greater significance, so that goes without saying that a cute younger sister will always be better than a brooding husband who flirt with his eyes. Their father would definitely agree that the dining table is not a place for people to stare at Hinata with impalpable predatory intentions! Ever since the unfortunate accident, Hanabi is unable to perceive her sister's husband any other way.

"Hinata nee-sama, where is otou-sama?" Hanabi spoke in a tone brimming with affectation, fluttering her eyelashes to spur adoration.

"In his quarters most probably." At last, she's now looking at Hanabi. Easily. Naturally. That only proves the power of a younger sister's appeal over a husband's. "I suppose he is quite busy as he delay his breakfast."

To guarantee a sure victory, Hanabi pursed her lips in a cute, childish manner. "Hinata nee-sama," she began to speak in manipulated sugary enunciation "please debone my mackerel for me," ending with a sweet little sister smile. She is confident of winning. Hands down, by a landslide, sisters before misters in the end—

"Hanabi-chan," Hinata chuckled with a beautiful, sparkly grin. "You are already quite capable to do that yourself."

—Or not. She seethed and let it burn inside.

 _White lily man is also quite capable of doing it himself. He's the Shuten-douji with all ten of his oni claws complete! Dangerous oni claws!_

It is best not to remember some things. She began to hum a folksong about pure and carefree cherry blossoms.

"Would you like some tea, Sasuke-kun?" He nodded. "Maybe I should also bring otou-sama tea."

Hinata rose from her seat to go to the kitchen. Hanabi glared at Sasuke, each morsel like the sharpening of an arrowhead as the hashi leaves her mouth. A declaration of war; it is officially on and Hanabi Hyuuga never loses.

Sasuke simpered. Although oblivious at first, upon gaining understanding of the murderous intent exuding the Hyuuga girl, he prodded the plate closer containing mackerel torn into smaller cuts by his dear wife, to Hanabi.

"I don't need your pity," she whispered, glaring prudish eyes at her brother-in-law.

Then, Hinata came holding a tray, placing warm cups of tea on Hanabi's side and to Sasuke's.

"It's alright, Sasuke onii-san." She eyed Hinata cautiously, plastering the most decent smile she could muster at the moment. _Make that an_ oni- _san, the san totally unnecessary!_

"Hanabi-chan…" Hinata was surprised at her sister's respectful address. She had never referred to Sasuke by name.

The couple tittered at each other—even Sasuke who's resting face and most ardent expression is a foul brood, as Hanabi observed. _Did the earth change its axis? This is totally uncanny._ Suddenly, she's the comic. Much to her dismay, it didn't end there for it continued in the days that followed—with increasing cloying intensity.

Upon arriving back home after a security escort mission for some rich merchant in the Land of Tea, she searched for Hinata, knowing her sister's usually done with her shift at this time of the day. It was a sister's prerogative to be tended for a gashed arm, though it was a mere scratch, after said claimant selflessly protected others. That is the utmost filial rule, a natural law of the cosmos. But she couldn't find Hinata anywhere. Until right at the corner of her eyes, as she drank water from her mug, two figures emerged from out the window. She peered closer only to see Hinata cutting Sasuke's hair. Hinata was trimming the white lily man's fringe, lightly brushing away bristles that strayed on his face. Most unbearable was the sight of Hinata gently blowing on the Uchiha's face, lovingly and with much attentiveness. There were stars on her Hyuuga eyes.

 _Hinata nee-sama!_

Hanabi gripped on the mug so tightly. She carefully set it down on the sink, reminding herself be careful not to break that one. It's her favorite.

 _Stop that!_ Her nostrils flared in anger when Hinata blew on Sasuke's face again.

Dandelions. Her sister was blowing dandelions, the lightweight seeds flying in the air, and she is smiling prettily because there is much wonder in the sight of pure white fluff scattered aloft.

Then she realized, Hinata was using the special scissors. It's the Hinata-Hanabi scissors; a symbol of their loyalty in sisterhood. The sisterly bond of cutting hair is a ceremonial rite on equal terms with a blood oath (according to Hanabi). _Why is the Uchiha suddenly let in on that?!_ A force equivalent to rage consumed her as she concluded that she's losing a pedestal, and to the Uchiha of all people.

"I shall slay the Shuten-douji."

Once her husband's gone, Hinata will definitely feel lonely sleeping all by herself. Historically, she used lame excuses like terrifying domestic lizards scaling her walls just so Hanabi would grant her bedroom entrance. The younger Hyuuga pondered on her neglect and how she previously viewed such occurrence as mere nuisance. She made a resolution to invite Hinata herself when the time comes, which is certainly soon enough. For now, she will use other means necessary to secure Hinata's attention back to her.

The next morning, despite her busy schedule, Hanabi volunteered to cook _matsutake_ soup. Breakfasts are very important to the Hyuuga. It's the only time of the day where the family members are frequently gathered together. With the power of her soup, Hinata's heart will surely warm up to her again.

"Hanabi, your _matsutak_ _e suimono_ is quite well done," Hiashi sipped from his bowl and he nodded favorably.

" _Arigatou,_ otou-sama," Hanabi replied, head held high because Hiashi's compliment is the highest form of praise in the household. All Hinata needs to do is to taste the clear soup and she will surely appreciate the indispensable value of an irreplaceable sibling.

However, several mouthfuls of rice later, Hinata's yet to come to the dining place.

Hanabi sat alone waiting at the table when a servant started cleaning.

"Hanabi-sama, if you don't mind, I'll be taking your bowls away."

"Take it. Take everything away," the Hyuuga heiress replied, her eyes waning off its glee.

Everything's being taken away; her sister privilege of priority, due attention and profuse affection. It just occurred to her that the last time Hinata was late for breakfast, she and the white lily man were… going at it like a pair of heated rabbits—better yet, make that a grotesque copulation between an _oni_ and an innocent, cute little rabbit.

Since desperate times call for desperate measures, if you can't push, you pull. Hanabi decided to interfere when she gets the chance—steal Hinata right under Sasuke's nose.

But it couldn't be easy.

"Why were you summoned by the elders?"

Hanabi stumbled upon the two of them, intentionally, talking in hushed tones while Hinata was working on her potted herbs. Unbelievable as it is, Sasuke is actually helping out.

"I-it was n-nothing."

When Hanabi peeked, using apt shinobi skills to hide her presence, Sasuke was nearing his face to Hinata as if to give her a kiss.

 _No you won't Uchiha! No kissing Hinata nee-sama! As long as I'm around_ — But then Sasuke stopped. He was only looking straight at Hinata.

"You're lying."

Then Hinata became flustered. Even Hanabi knows by the way her shoulders scrunch. Hinata must be blushing like mad.

 _Ah, must be one of those advice sessions, huh? Brought to you by the spawning experts, the Hyuuga ancients._

Frankly, those elders should not be bothered at all. She had witnessed more than enough to traumatize her for life. If that doesn't get Hinata pregnant, what will?

"Tell me the truth," Sasuke said as he tucked Hinata's hair behind her ear.

"They…" before she answered, Hinata hid her face on her knees. "They asked when was the last time we did it."

"Hn. Impatient, aren't they?"

"T-they told me I must be sterile and cursed."

"That's impossible."

"Why?"

"I just know."

"How can Sasuke-kun be so sure?"

"Because I say so. Besides, I don't do it with you just for the sake of that purpose. I know you know that."

Having overheard the conversation, Hanabi felt a distant resignation. It was just like yesterday when she watched Hinata spar with their Neji nii-san in admiration. Hinata was like a mother to her. She combed Hanabi's hair, answered all her nonsensical questions, made sure she ate breakfast, reminded her of everything she needs to bring inside her bag and many other small, important things. Even when Hinata was cast out for a time, she never failed to check on her. And now, she's talking about being sterile. Since when did everything become so different?

"I keep wanting to do it with you. A lot," Sasuke added as he caressed Hinata's face and stooped in to kiss her.

"Hinata nee-sama!" Hanabi hollered from behind the shoji, acting out a charade of searching. "Hinata nee-sama!"

"H-H-Hanabi-chan?" The elder sister's voice quaked. "I-I'm h-here!"

Hanabi walked in from out the corner, her feet stomping against the engawa, the slapping sound loud enough to make the dews on the leaves of the herbs fall.

"Hinata nee-sama!" Hanabi beamed brightly, "I brought you something."

"What is it Hanabi-chan?"

"Come with me."

Hanabi took her elder sister by the arm, leaving Sasuke to brood on his own amongst the small pots of plants. Savoring the moment of her vanquish, she looked back at her brother-in-law just to mock him. But instead, she saw the Uchiha watch their retreating figures with an easiness to his eyes, there was almost an illusion of a smile. Then, he broods again.

* * *

•••

* * *

Fogs scattered on the fields and above the dells, skirting on the tree trunks. The air was cold and damp.

It was still dark but a thread of flare casted brightness across the horizon. Pebble surfaces grated in tight spaces as their sandals strolled the path towards the Konoha main gate. They were holding hands and Hinata's bosom wrapped Sasuke's arm in a downy embrace. Her head slightly leaned on his shoulder and her lavender scent which pressed on their pillows and soaked their warmed sheets, wafted to his nostrils.

It was hard to leave.

"Sasuke-kun, have a safe journey." She faced him to show a gentle smile.

The sharp chirping of the birds can be heard from far as its lonely echoes travel in waves within a hollowed empty depth.

"Un."

"Please take care of yourself."

They just stood there for a while, flanked in between unmoving pillars. The clanking on the village bell perturbed the iron mold.

Then Sasuke's feet began to move to face the path he must take, the twist of his heel crushing the sand and pebbles in a coarse, twirling sound.

She held on his forefinger. He didn't hesitate to cover her mouth with his.

The flapping of a bird's wing can be heard as it perched on a post, weightless and fluttering with bones strong that move the wind. Lights from the lamp posts flicker to rest as the rays of the sun beamed with increasing wakefulness.

His lips left hers too soon.

"I'll be back." He poked her on the forehead.

The breeze bestowed by the early morn froze her hands. She watched him until he vanished, swallowed by the distance of the long road.

* * *

•••

* * *

Hanabi aimed to for a fast sidekick but Hinata defended herself using a two palmed thrust. The younger Hyuuga took the chance to deliver a hard blow on her sister's abdomen, but Hinata took hold of her arm and twisted it out, forcing Hanabi to turn and readjust her footing but not without attempting to throw her sister off balance with the sweep of her leg's length causing dust to be blown off.

It happened so quickly but Hinata lifted herself upside down, balancing her body's weight on Hanabi's shoulders as she whirled, and hit her in the jugular vein. She landed lithe and their initial positions on the field were exchanged.

"Hinata nee-sama, you surprise me," Hanabi said. "That was quite a daring attack, coming from you." By lacing her digits with lethal chakra, Hinata could've killed an enemy without giving them a chance to retaliate, _taijutsu-_ wise.

"D-daring?! That's not true," Hinata answered. "It's just that Sasuke-kun told me to take advantage of the lightness of my lower body."

There's always Sasuke-kun even when he wasn't there, Hanabi noted. Eyeing her sister rump with a grimace and then her own, she replied, "I don't think you have a light lower body. I have a light lower body, you don't. Who knows what white lily man made you go through just so you could lift yourself so easily like that." She's definitely getting better under his guidance—not that her elder sister needed it.

Hinata clutched at her chest. Talking in a gulp of air, she stood at ease from a defensive stance. "I'm quite tired, Hanabi. Let's end here for today."

"Hinata nee-sama, look." Hanabi pointed to the sky.

Against the azure expanse, a hawk messenger drew in close to them.

Hinata stretched her arm out and the brown feathered creature perched in her forearm. She took the rolled paper attached on it's leg before ushering it to fly away.

"His message came after all, Hinata nee-sama. Aren't you glad?"

Hinata didn't answer and merely smiled one of those love-stricken bubblehead smiles as she read the small paper carefully unraveled by her fingers.

Hanabi pressed in to see—because it is a known fact in the universe that sisters should be let in on these things too.

"I should send him a reply, don't you think so, Hanabi-chan?" She's the most sparkly now than she ever did during the past week.

The Hyuga heiress read her brother-in-law's writing, and in beautiful characters, it said:

 _"The rushing wind is the winter calling,_

 _Across jagged sea waves, in smooth caresses,_

 _To the sunny garden where persimmons sweet,_

 _Blooming in clusters, the parched hawk pecks."_

Her eyes squinted with prudish chastisement. "Definitely erotic," Hanabi muttered. Then she walked away.

"E-erotic?" Hinata grabbed her wrist and she rolled her eyes as her sister read the poem again, blushed, and with a firm expression, declared: "Hanabi, we have to talk."

That was the most awkward conversation they ever had. The secret is safe though—mere knowledge of Hanabi's witness will make everything unbearably cringing and will definitely drive Hinata to borderline madness. It's not an exaggeration. Even though she's the heiress, Hanabi will be punished too. By her interpretation, the family taboo is relative. You may use the Byakugan to spy on a family member, but don't get caught. Apparently, there's a reason why it is strictly observed.

But, more awkward than the most awkward is Hinata sighing and giggling late at night trying to write her own love poem. Seriously, Hanabi never thought she'd ever ask, but, who is the real teenager here?

"Hinata nee-sama, you've been working on that for five nights now." She started combing Hinata's hair. "Are you planning on sending him an album? Have pity for the bird!"

"No, of course not." Hinata giggled again. "I couldn't decide what to write him."

"You better sleep now. Sleeping late is bad for you," Hanabi said firmly. She's the one doing the reprimanding now since her love struck sister's head is up in white lily clouds. "I can't believe you didn't know Hinata nee-sama when it's your own body. What if Kurenai-sensei didn't point it out and I hit your stomach during practice? What would that make me?" She's getting good at this. Hanabi could get used to this reversal of roles.

"Alright," Hinata smiled at her before hugging Hanabi. "But maybe you can read my poem." She blushed. "I'm not really certain about it but I'd like to know what Hanabi-chan thinks."

 _"To the raven snuggled in my bossom,_

 _Infinite stars smile at you,_

 _The dark is not the enemy, 'tis a blanket,_

 _Silence louden the sound of our breaths."_

"I didn't know you could be so cryptic." The younger of the Hyuuga sisters had a sly grin. "'Bosom', 'blanket', 'our breaths'. Your choice of words reveal something. To think that you told me off for knowing 'erotic'."

Hinata's countenance shivered, a kettle steaming with embarrassment. "T-there is nothing of that sort!" Her index fingers fiddled. "I used bosom because I miss him with all my heart, and he sometimes gets nightmares so I really wanted him to feel comforted even when he's away."

Hanabi snarled. "Ew! Hinata nee-sama, you're so in love with him, you're literally making me feel sick." The symptoms are definitely worse than when she was all about Uzumaki Naruto. At least, back then, Hinata was really shy about her feelings thus very entertaining to tease.

"Thank you, Hanabi-chan." Hinata's eyes glimmered and a creepy smile graced her features. Creepy, because she just gave her sister an insult. Hanabi concluded that Hinata inhaled too much white lily gas. "I really am so in love with him, my heart hurts so much that I feel giddy." She giggled as she walked towards Hanabi's bed. Rolling over the mattress, she sniffed and hugged a pillow tight. The white lily man's pillow. _Creepy_. Hanabi shrugged.

The Hyuga heiress turned off the light switch and sat on her side of the bed. She pulled the blanket over Hinata's shoulders.

"I think your poem's nice. When are you sending it?"

"Tomorrow. I'll ask Kakashi-sensei's help for a messenger hawk to Kirigakure. One that'll send it directly to Sasuke." His name drawled on her lips.

Hanabi snickered. "You're amazing, Hinata nee-sama—using Konoha's shinobi messenger hawks to exchange love poems. Who else does that in all of Konoha? You two are a weird couple."

"Indeed. We are both weird." Hinata tittered back before closing her eyes with a smile fastened on her lips.

 _You're amazing, Hinata nee-sama. How you can love someone so easily like that,_ Hanabi thought.

 _May Hinata nee-sama be sparkly for always,_ she silently prayed.

* * *

Days passed.

Snow had fallen.

Frost white filled the pavements.

It's been weeks since the poem he sent. His scent had washed off his pillow. His face would appear in patterns too, in the whirl of the wood, in the assemblage of some foliage. Sheet creases pronounced shapes in the likeness of his nose. Cut vegetables form shapes of his fingernails. It makes her think fondly of him and the meal becomes somewhat bearable, till her stomach protests.

How is Sasuke doing? Where is he right now? Questions filled her mind. She wonders if he is wearing clothes that are thick enough to fend the winter cold. She often thinks of him, even more so when she's feeling really uncomfortable and sick. She yearns for the warmth of his hands to lull her to sleep. His voice too; the calming stillness asking if she's alright.

Then, on the day before her birthday, the awaited flapping of a strong bird's wing visited.

 _"My sunny place is nothing like the desert,_

 _Lavenders grow slowly out of my heated skin._

 _How dry is the sand but oases abound,_

 _For in my breath is water, lavenders bloom."_

Hinata thought about Kaze no Kuni, from the desert in the poem, and how that's close to the Fire Country. Maybe Sasuke is nearing. She was giggling again.

"Hinata nee-sama, another poem?"

"Yes," she answered absent mindedly.

* * *

The winter snow gave way to spring warmth.

By this time, meteors had hit some parts of the Earth Country, Lightning Country and even somewhere near Suna. They say it's perfectly normal. That those are merely from cyclical comets which orbit close to earth once every century. Hinata has also become recluse. Her teacher, Kurenai Yuuhi, visits her once a week. Sometimes it's Uzumaki Sakura who is just as pregnant as she is. Apart from those two women, Hinata never bothers visiting anyone outside the compound. She rarely goes out.

Squirrels bantered as they hunted for acorns. Birds flew renewed. Grass blades stood rejuvenated and the flowers bloomed. Lavenders gave of their tender scents.

But still, Sasuke is yet to come.

A skewed red paper carnation was pinned on Hinata's chest. It fared bright against her pastel dress.

" _Arigatou_ , Ken-kun." She ruffled the toddler's hair.

She sat outside the _engawa_ , breathing in spring and basking in the sunlight. Ever since the spring sun came out, Kurenai told her to make effort sunbathing.

"Ken really wanted to give you one Hinata-sama," Genta grinned beside her. "You are like our mother too."

"I'm happy about that, Genta-kun," she held a faint smile on her face. "Tell me did you help Ken-kun make this. It's very pretty."

"A little," Genta answered with a streak of pride.

The little one nodded. Though he wasn't gifted with a voice, he has spirited eyes that speaks straightforwardly. Hinata smiled at him and ushered the small boy to sit beside her. His chubby legs adorably swayed with his tiny toes in tow.

"Hinata-sama, you always look like you're waiting for someone here," the older boy asked with curious eyes looking up Hinata.

"It's because I am."

"Who is it?"

Hinata gently rubbed across her protruding belly. "This child's father."

Genta was silent for a while as if weighing something of profundity. "Your baby's father means your husband, right?"

"Un," Hinata nodded, slightly amused at Genta's puzzled expression.

"They said that Hinata-sama's husband is a bad person. Is it true?"

Her eyes were saddened but she best held up her smile while she shook her head.

"He is very kind to me. Didn't he give _daifuku_ to you and Ken-kun?"

"Ah," Genta nodded with a bratty smug, "he looked suspicious, but I remember the sweets. It was very delicious! Mother thought so too!"

She laughed. "I'm glad."

"I heard the old aunts say how Hinata-sama's husband was hurting people from far villages. But you're telling the truth, aren't you Hinata-sama? That's he's a kind person."

Sasuke last poem to her was the one he sent before her birthday. After that, nothing came from him. Even the Hokage's messages, he left without reply. But then, came the reports and the rumors.

" _Ne_ , Genta-kun," Hinata looked at a far distance. "What does your mother do when you get home late?"

"She becomes mad and she'd chase me with a broom! Good thing Ken cries for me too. He may be small but he's a true brother."

"A true brother?" She laughed again. "Spoken like a true shinobi, Genta-kun. I guess I'll give him a good spanking too." Her head tilted as she thought. "I'll spank him with a stick, at the back of his legs, just like how my grandmother used to do." Hinata gestured striking with an imaginary stick. A chortle announced from her throat. "But not too much. He'll be hurt. I can be very strong if I want to. Then I'd ask him, 'Sasuke-kun, where were you? Why are you home late?' I will look at him like this."

She turned a serious façade at Genta then to Ken.

"Scary isn't it?"

Genta only nodded slightly. He didn't seem to agree with her. It was hard to agree with anything these days.

"Then I'll ask him… Did you eat well?"

The sky turned hazy.

"… Are you hurt anywhere? What happened? Is there anything... anything I can help you with?"

She felt Ken's soft tiny hand on her cheek. The poor baby was wiping her tears. Genta frowned and could only watch Hinata cry not knowing what to do.

"Hinata-sama, Hisoka-sama has called for you," a servant notified.

Her grandmother. She wiped her tears in a haste.

* * *

Hanabi dashed her way into the elders' manor. She knows their grandmother called Hinata for no good reason. With Sasuke's reputation tarnished once again by unverified rumors of his recent culpabilities, the Hyuuga matriarch will definitely find a way to separate the family name from disgrace however merciless it may seem. Together with her council of shady fortune tellers and astrologists, their grandmother wielded power over the Hyuuga women, setting postulates how they should act, who to associate with, who to marry, how to be a wife and many other mind boggling things that plague you just because you're Hyuuga and a female. Hanabi's worst fear was her father's absence due to business matters outside Konoha. The ancient woman might impose on the idea that she has the authority over who the Hyuuga can raise and sire—that the Uchiha's spawn might not be a fad anymore.

"I deeply apologize, obaa-sama, but I refuse." She heard Hinata's voice, firm but it was concealing much.

"Hinata, it is for the best. We will keep the infant and you get to marry someone better."

"Sasuke…" Hinata recomposed herself. "My husband will return and it will be proven that he has done no wrong. Please reconsider your decision for this is my firm belief."

Hinata had never talked back to their grandmother. Precisely the reason why the Hyuuga matriarch continues to impose on her.

"We are also of the firm belief that you will take to Toneri-sama kindly for he is the one sent by the ancestors. She is very beautiful, isn't she, Toneri-sama?" asked another sallow elder.

"Truly, like fresh fallen snow illuminated by the bright full moon. However, respectable elders, I couldn't possibly cause the beautiful Byakugan Princess to bear this sorrow," a man's anodyne voice answered. "I will be my father's shame."

Hanabi opened the shoji doors unannounced.

"Forgive my intrusion but what travesty is this, obaa-sama?" Her tone made mature and compelling.

"Hanabi, you blight me with your presence. These are purely adult matters, dear heiress. Nothing of your concern." Hisoka Hyuuga, with her pale countenance, displayed formalism, unembellished and conservative to the point of superiority.

"I am honored that you condescend so as to even acknowledge my presence, obaa-sama," Hanabi answered. _The most ancient-minded of the ancients didn't hold her tongue like she used to_. She knew her grandmother hates her. After all, Hyuuga Hanabi is not someone she can control, an explosive firecracker unfettered from her grasps.

"Hanabi-sama, we have a guest. Your rudeness will ultimately lead to your downfall. You cannot lead the Hyuuga with such uncivility," said another who could barely sit properly on the zabuton with all her manacle accessories and bulky, layered metal chokers which supposedly spiritually attunes the body to the spirits of the Hyuuga ancestors.

These elderly will probably be six feet under before the lapse of this downfall they speak of. Their eyes are dead and cold. Nothing will get through their pickled hearts; their wrinkly brains preserved and thoroughly soaked in acidic vinegar.

She looked at Hinata who is trying her best to kneel over in a _dogeza_ in spite of her pregnancy. She must do something. There must be something. This Toneri is a liar. He speak of things he cannot see for he is blind. Sasuke has color but this man is almost luminescent with whiteness; a perfectly flawless alabaster statue, his skin so unblemished that his character and motives are highly dubitable.

The younger sibling left the room and hurried to her grandfather's quarters. He doesn't have much power concerning marital affairs over the Hyuuga matriarch but any opposition will do.

"Ojii-sama, it is I, Hanabi."

There was no answer.

"Ojii-sama?"

It was eerily silent, not even a movement of paper or of the brush.

She slowly opened the _shoji_ and she saw her grandfather. Placed on the low table in front of him is his usual morning tea.

"Ojii-sama, is something the matter?"

"Oh, Hanabi," he faced her, "I was just deep in thought," the words lethargic and flat.

Their grandfather is a determined man, whose eyes blaze even with old age, solely dedicated to upholding the integrity, honor and duty of the Hyuuga as he is to the observance of etiquettes in tea ceremony and the respectful partaking of tea, a definite purpose in his life.

It greatly disturbed Hanabi to see how her grandfather's gaze held no vigor. His tea had also gone cold and he didn't even seem to care in the slightest.

つづく

* * *

Daifuku Mochiin Corner! 火

 **News Reporter:** Daifuku Mochiin, stale confection, was arrested for charges of kidnapping and changing genres in the middle of the story.

 **DM** (VTR) I deeply apologize. I wanted to put three: romance, humor and drama but I couldn't.

 **News Reporter:** Angry protesters waited out of its box as authorities brought the warrant of its arrest.

 **Protester 1** : Where is Sasuke, you cheap mochi?!

 **Protester 2** : You lied about his poems too! Hawks are carnivores so they don't eat persimmons! Sasuke is too cool to not know that! Maybe he's already been long gone and you were just posing as the poet! Rot in jail! *Throws egg*

 **Police** : Daifuku Mochiin, you are under arrest for the kidnapping of Sasuke Uchiha and for-

 **DM** : I don't know where's Sasuke! I didn't kidnap him!

 **Protesters** : Liar! Liar! *Throws eggs, flour, rotten spring onions and bad cabbage rolls*

 **Police** : You have personal grudge and the opportunity. Many signed up as witnesses against you. You have to come with us and explain yourself in the human world.

 **DM** : Even if y'all tryin' to make me into okonomiyaki, I swear I didn't kidnap the chap.

Police puts handcuffs and drags DM away*

 **DM** : No! No! I'll be back after a month or two. Perhaps even longer. Nothing's definitive. I will be sent to the human world! But I'll be back!

Protesters throw more eggs*

 **News Reporter:** Until now, investigations for Sasuke Uchiha's location are still ongoing. Where is Sasuke Uchiha? Is he dead or alive?

* * *

Guide Dates 

Dec. 27 - Hinata's Birthday

May 13 - Mother's day (Japanese children accordingly give carnations to their mothers)

* * *

Dear guest asked: What's happened to Sasuke and why hasn't he written? Will Hinata be forced to marry Toneri?

\- Please look forward to the final flower chapter, Cherry Blossoms. FLGW will be on a temporary hiatus (which is why I binge updated) but I will update after a few weeks. Thank you very much! :)

Another dear guest asked: "I am wondering if you are Chinese people, couse I see a lot of old Chinese sayings in your writing..."

\- I did use old Chinese sayings which the Japanese also use. Sadly, I am not Chinese, dear guest. I am just a lowly mochi, now soggy with tears because I am touched. Thank you for appreciating this lowly mochi's work.

From a dear guest: "...yet I find myself sad because many writers go to hiatus and promise that they'll be back but they never returned. I'm not sure if you'll return..."

\- Dear guest, first of all thank you very much. Your words encourage me to do my best! Also, my words are as good as Sasuke's. I didn't kidnap him, I promise. That man is always true to his word. I may be just a lowly mochi but I don't wanna lose to him! Not anymore! *evil laughter echoes through the prison cell*


	18. Interlude - Cherry Blossoms

**Interlude**

TIME FRAME: Early spring, 3rd week of March, about eight weeks prior to where the previous chapter left off.

Hinata stared at her tea. It was the onset of spring. Blossoming flower petals sat at the bottom of her cup and the bright sky peeking from the roof edges was an opaque mirror clasped in her bony fingers.

Mirai, Kurenai's young daughter, was playing outside. She went back in, small feet padded soft on the floor to her mother, and asked for food to feed the koi.

"Let me get it," Hinata answered, mustering a weak smile on her lips. Kurenai placed warm, strong hands on her gaunt shoulders and asked where it was placed to get it herself.

The red-eyed woman shook the cylindrical container and Mirai ran out with excitement. Kurenai lifted the toddler, sweeping her off her feet to carry her near the pond. She cooed to her daughter, answering everything the precious girl asked about the fishes as they fed. Afterwards, Mirai was placate, watching the koi with curiosity.

"She can be really unstoppable sometimes." Kurenai's red lips quirked, a mixture of fondness and pride on her face.

Hinata drank another sip from her cup, just letting the warmth of the liquid wash through her taste buds. It didn't taste like anything. Just the saltiness at the back of her throat, grainy and dry.

"Thank you for the _sakura-ya_ , sensei. The color is very beautiful." She watched the swirling brownish pink flowers as she stirred in circular motions.

"The cherry blossom trees are in full bloom. You should see them. It's really not far from here."

"Sensei, I think I'll… pass." The glum smudging Hinata's eyelids became more evident.

"Hinata, let's go together." Kurenai said. "The beautiful view will be good for the baby."

Mirai giggled as they watched her. She was mumbling with glee, unbridled and wonderful, throwing dry leaves into the water. "Here, here, fwishie!" She wobbled as she walked.

Hinata put her cup down. Letting out a silent sigh from between her lips, she could feel it coming again—the heaviness, unmoving and enervating. It caused her limbs to weaken and like the temptation of sleep, it succumbs her to a depth, inviting her to surrender to the ceaseless tiredness creeping up her bones.

"Sensei, how did you go through it? What I'm going through now is nothing compared to yours but it's… _it's_ very hard for me."

She is crying again. It has been like this recently. When she'd stare at the emptiness of the lawn blanketed with snow; her bedside; when she puts back her toothbrush and his hasn't been moved at all; even just by combing her hair and dressing up and she sees her lonely self, staring back at her in the mirror, for no reason and for more obvious reasons, she'd cry.

 _Nooo!_ They could hear Mirai squealing. _Come back fwishie, pwease… foood! Here!_

Moreover, the rumors about Sasuke—about him getting involved with people who abduct others so they could exhaust chakra—she knows they're not true.

"I feel scared for my child—my body can't sustain us both at this rate. I feel so miserable. Bad feelings emerge inside me."

It pains her that he's a reputed criminal once again but what pains her the most is because she knows—Sasuke would never do such a thing; not him in all his capacity, not even in his heart, in what lies beneath his dark hopeful eyes.

Kurenai gave her a hug. "Oh, Hinata. It was and still is very hard for me." There was a mild shakiness to her voice. "But I'm a mother. And you are now too. That's why we have to be strong no matter what—because our lives are not our own anymore."

Hinata could only nod obediently, eyes blurry with tears as she hugged her teacher back.

Kurenai chuckled. "Don't hug too much. You're going to squish the baby... You are still very much like a child, crying just like the day you were brought to me." After wiping Hinata's face she said: "Why don't you get changed? We'll go out in the sun, okay?"

"Un," Hinata answered softly, her docile eyes giving away her unknowing.

* * *

•••

* * *

Somewhere in Kaze no Kuni, Sasuke had been following traces of the Furuike Group.

The ones who planned an attack on the Water Daimyo was merely a small division of a seemingly growing movement. They have wreaked havoc on villages, pillaged properties and abducted people, even leaving identification that they've been to places—fearless for what once was a group of inferior idealist shinobi, seeking to topple down the governing power of Mizu no Kuni.

The Kirigakure Anbu was unable to capture the Furuike Group commander. The man had fled before they were able to trace him. Sasuke has made it a mission to himself to destroy the group's commander after he found out that the seals on their forehead is a _jutsu_ that connects them to other people, making the latter lot a chakra source. Though the Furuike present in Mizu no Kuni had all been subdued, it was too late to save their chakra sources who were locked away in hidden underground cells.

Noticeably, the Furuike's so-called Sharingan couldn't do much. It was fake, a mockery of the Sharingan's bright red glow and distinct pattern, but the chakra they harnessed and used with wanton was destructive in a dual manner—the power to attack and its wretched method of outsourcing that power. News of misdeeds circulating around about the Furuike were suddenly attributed to Sasuke. But that was the least of his concerns.

There was a severe lack of information pertaining to the group. Even Orochimaru couldn't lead him anywhere. The Legendary Sannin shinobi never paid them heed. They just suddenly came into power and nobody knew how. Sasuke basically had to start from zero.

Upon his investigation, the group of rebels have extended their operations far beyond their initially established domain, reaching as far as Kaze no Kuni—a month long journey from Mizu no Kuni—not necessarily bearing the name but the seals casted on their foreheads were the same.

Kaze no Kuni is a vast country with indistinct and unreliable desert topography consisted of desert plains, dry land and uniform sand dunes which change at the bidding of strong desert winds. Even with his Sharingan, the knowledge of the rebels about the area was not to be underestimated. The villages are far apart and the rebels used this to their own advantage, bringing an entire population to their hideout using paths in the desert only they are capable of discerning. It only proved that the Furuike are not merely former shinobi of Mizu no Kuni but rather an alliance with individuals from Kaze no Kuni as well.

They were organized and systematic, effectively amassing power for their purpose.

However, something puzzled Sasuke. If the Furuike's original intention is still withstanding—that is to overthrow the Water Country's authority—why set a base in the Wind Country when the Fire Country is closer?

To mobilize an army, there is advantage in proximity. He can't help but construe that they are avoiding something. That, or they are planning something bigger which made it all the more alarming.

Also, who is the figure giving them power? His mind reading _jutsu_ had only revealed to him a white bright light casting seals on the members of Furuike and of their victimized chakra sources.

By the fourth month of his mission, Sasuke had finally located the group head. He fortunately came across a platoon attacking a small village and he secretly followed them as they transported the abductees to their hideout.

Pointing his _chokuto_ onto the leader's neck, intimidating him with his Sharingan, he began using _genjutsu_ to make the man confess who is giving them the ability.

The Furuike Group commander sat shivering on the ground, his eyes bulging out at the nightmarish vision of a terrifying red-eyed hellhound which growled with a thunderous presence.

"Obviously it is not you," Sasuke said, his face impervious as he observed the man's inclusive response. "Who is casting the seals? Tell me just before I tear out your throat." He determined to end this once and for all.

The trembling man answered, "It's you, isn't it? Those Sharingan—it must be you! The Mangetsu no Kami told me you would come to kill me!"

"Where is this Mangetsu no Kami?" He was expected? Something is hugely amiss. He got into the hideout without much trouble. They didn't expect him and yet this man claims he knew he would come for his life without even setting up strategy to counter attack—there were no traps, no calculated movements. Sasuke has everything under control and the commander is just letting all of that happen.

The terrified man screamed as Sasuke intensified the ghastly images of the _genjutsu._ His teeth gnashed and his limbs shook.

"Aaaaahhhh! S-s-stop! S-stop!"

"Where is Mangetsu no Kami?"

"T-t-the M-Mangetsu no Kami t-t-told m-me to t-t-tell y-you m-my real purpose," the Furuike army commander smirked.

Sasuke thought how for someone so weak, he had the gall.

"I… Did all of these… Because _you_ inspired me to submit to _his_ power! Your powerful attack[1] during the Kage Summit more than two years ago set our hopes ablaze!" A manic grin surfaced on his sweaty face as he clutched his chest. "You, Sasuke Uchiha, is our inspiration, our model, our hero, our ultimate leader! Just like you, we gathered power to overthrow suppressing power, no matter by what means!"

Sasuke's _genjutsu_ stopped and as he read the person's mind, the radiance of his ocular implements morphed vaguely into a pair of lackluster ruby gems.

All these just because his juvenile mistakes, an impulse brought by his confusion at a period where everything he strongly believed in were shattered. His life and purpose were suddenly worth nothing. He killed for nothing and gained power for nothing—and that inspired them? The dead, the children whom Hinata would've cared for, men and women, husbands and wives, young boys and girls who could've shared a better future. All these because the Furuike believed in everything that he did for nothing.

He looked around the pitch-dark facility. The stone cave was cold and there was a sound of dripping water spiraling the hollow conduit. Then a groan, a gasping of breath and a cry, too weak and almost inaudible, ghostly murmurs seeming to grow in numbers.

"Help us."

 _Clang. Clang._

"Help."

 _Clang._

A weak tapping against a metal bar can be heard. There were prison cells containing sealed people, sapped out of their life source. This is not what Itachi wanted. Not for him, not for anybody.

"You!" He pointed his _chokuto_ on the man once again, and as he did his hand shook.

However, the man was already scrunching on the ground, out of breath, suffering from cardiac arrest. Moments later, he stopped breathing. A squeaking pest scurried into the carcass, biting the dead man's ear.

Sasuke hurried to the cells and one by one, broke the locks. A deathly silent torture reeked the place. Rats spread about on the ground, running away from perceived threat as Sasuke opened the metal confines.

The captives were malnourished and severely depleted of vitality. It smelled of death. He saw a dying child. Closing in, he gave the boy chakra. It wasn't looking good. His eyes perused at the seal cast on the boy's forehead. The rest of the prisoners had it. Also the Furuike themselves but with a slight variation—a hieroglyph of arcane understanding which only by using his Rinnegan was he able to discover its minute semblance with the Sage of Six Path's[2] text. Add onto that Furuike's manifested imitation of the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan. Everything as if intended to catch his attention, to get him into some unidentifiable, horrendous loop.

Suddenly, a white bright light appeared and the people were frightened.

"It's the Mangetsu no Kami!" cried a man, his voice hoarse and raw from torment. The brightness was blinding. They were desperate to hide.

Standing on the center of the underground cave was a luminescent form of a human, a mere silhouette without a face or anything to identify with.

"Mangetsu no Kami." His face darkened. The being had no chakra flow from itself. It's a projection.

" ** _Sasuke Uchiha. How pretentious._** " The Mangetsu no Kami's voice hinted of youth. Though a reverb was added to hide the true voice, it spoke with a nuance of dignity—thoroughly immersed into the role of some god as the epithet suggests. " ** _Saving people now when you could only kill, not sparing even your own brother._** "

After carefully laying back the dying boy on the ground, he went out of the cell to face the enemy.

"Show yourself! You are a coward hiding behind a projection leading these people to their downfall."

" ** _Your own brother who also killed and used his power under the pretense of saving people. It is indeed in the blood._** "

"How dare you?! You have no fucking right! Reveal yourself to me!"

With the Sharingan, he carefully traced residues of chakra trails—indications of _jutsu_ elemental components emitted from the user into the projection.

" ** _Even with what power your eyes hold, you won't find me. I am here yet I am not. You, Sasuke Uchiha, do not deserve to see my real form._** "

He looked at the direction of glittering particles, flowing out upwards. It would be convenient to burst a hole above from underground but it will greatly endanger the captives. He ran fast in impassioned bloodlust at the rush of anger mixed with adrenaline through the cave's meandering passage towards the entrance previously covered by a huge stone door.

Sand splashed at the swerve of his feet and his dusty cloak swayed. He stopped by the outer vestibule of the castle ruins carved out of a rock, underneath of which was the Furuike commander's hideout. Heterochromatic eyes scrutinized the dissipating scattered chakra. It flowed upwards, towards the moon, pregnant against the desert night sky.

The projection suddenly appeared above him. Now Sasuke could clearly see the trails of projection _jutsu_ traversing space into the earth's lone satellite.

" ** _The ones who called themselves Furuike are only the beginning. I merely gave them power and they willingly accepted—even exchanged the lives of others for it—goaded by your history, by your impeccable leading. There are many others who have mobilized themselves. Have pleasure encountering them and may you destroy each other, slowly, utterly._** "

"Who are you and what is your purpose?!" Sasuke's voice echoed harshly against the howling wind. It was a primal battle of dominance, of who was firmer in enunciation and who spoke in louder volume.

From one of the Mangetsu no Kami's luminescent appendage, an astral orb of energy appeared and as it was lifted to the sky, a gigantic spark blazed through the depth of night. It burned brighter as it passed behind the Mangetsu no Kami, overwhelming the bright red of rage from Sasuke's _kekkei genkai._

" ** _Know that the falling rocks are mine, yes, 'tis the moon shedding its pieces as it nears the earth to doom. Soon it will crumble and will ultimately collide with this world."_**

 _Impossible!_ Is this being truly one of divinity? One who wields power to move gigantic celestial bodies? Only Madara came to mind. The bygone Uchiha moved asteroids. But never the moon.

" ** _It is I, the one who shall render justice upon this world because scum like you and your ancestors need penance. The whole world needs to pay because of you! You defiled this world with your greed for power!_** "

Retrieving his calm, Sasuke said: "You seem to know me very well and speak as though you knew everything that happened when you can't even show your face."

" ** _Did you honestly think someone like you could ever love? Many people will hurt those you love if I tell them too—Sasuke Uchiha's filthy powers for his wife._** "

"You have something against me so take it against me!"

" ** _But then even without me telling them, they will come at you, hurt the ones you love because in the end you are just a lowly, pretentious scum. All your loved ones died because you're near them—you think so too. I read your mind._** "

"I will find you and kill you!"

" ** _Remember, low-life, I am destroying the world because of people like you and your kin!_** "

The projection glowed more intense as if to burst then, it disappeared.

He found himself trembling. _Hinata. Hinata._ Hinata needs to be safe.

He rushed underground once again to tend to the captives.

 _"The desert sun has scorched your skin,_

 _How long the trail your tired feet marked the sand?_

 _The balms grow cold as they wait,_

 _But the oils will melt at the pitter patter of steps on the leaves."_

Naruto is in Konoha. As long as Konoha is safe, Hinata is safe.

Hinata's family will keep her safe.

They will keep her safe.

Using the Mangekyou Sharingan, he traced the complex parasitic chakra network connected to the seal which embeded itself into the child's own chakra network. He had used Amaterasu[3] to sever the connections. It will be painful though. Not everyone whom he tried to free from the seal survived—a human body rarely survives vital life force depletion. He will seek help from Suna. Maybe many of these captives can still be saved.

Using his black flames, he touched the child's forehead while placing him under a _genjutsu_ that severs one's mind from the consciousness of the pain received by the body.

 _"… All your loved ones died because you're near them. You think so too..."_

The Mangetsu no Kami's words repeated itself inside his head. Undeniably, it wasn't a new notion. It has always been there.

His Rinnegan[4] glowed purple with layers of rings distinct towards the bright desert moon. His range using Amenotejikara[5] is currently limited. In contrast, Kaguya could change dimensions instantaneously. To get to the moon, he should master space-time ninjutsu over the shortest amount of time possible.

つづく

Daifuku Mochiin Corner! 田

Narutoverse nations and some vocabulary:

Sakura-ya - cherry blossom tea

Kaze no Kuni - wind country

Hi no Kuni - fire country

Mizu no Kuni - water country

Mangetsu no Kami - god of full moon (this persona has no relation to Mangetsu Hozuki who is Suigetsu's bro)

Notes:

(*) The poem was Hinata's reply to Sasuke's poem sent the day before her birthday.

[1] The Furuike Group commander is inspired (a rip off) from Karyuu, a character from _Sasuke Shinden:Book of Sunrise_ , which also appeared in anime. Karyuu led a group called the Dark Thunder Group.

[2] The Sage of Six Paths, Hagoromo, wrote the Uchiha clan's stone tablet. He had a brother named Hamura from whom the Hyuuga clan descended. After the brothers sealed their mother Kaguya, Hamura, along with some of his kin, decided to live on the moon (which he and Hagoromo created) to keep watch over their mother's sealed body.

[3] Amaterasu is supposed to be a powerful kind of flame, almost inextinguishable, but in this fic, Sasuke used it to cauterize the Mangetsu no Kami's parasitic chakra seal. I have no idea how that works. (Is it like when you don't like your tattoo anymore coz it was your ex's initials or something and you decided to burn your skin? I dunno.)

[4] In canon anime, Sasuke's Rinnegan is purple. For the purpose of this story, his Rinnegan changes colors. It is red with tomoe (resembling a big Sharingan) when under the influence of *coughs* arousal. When he's in a fighting mode, it is purple. Also, Sasuke can turn it off at will so Hinata could clearly see his beautiful black eyes when the Rinnegan is deactivated.

[5] Amenotejikara, according to Sasuke, is a blessing from the Sage of Six Paths. This ninjutsu enables him to switch places with another distant object.

* * *

Hello guys! Thanks for all the love and reviews! I'm finally back and Sasuke has been found (and he swears) at a previous point in our timeline. The feels of this story will change a bit but hopefully, the love of our two main protagonists will prevail.

* * *

~A conversation between inner DM and DM back in prison~

Inner DM: Why are you making Hinata drink Sakura tea? Are you sure it's safe?

DM: I dunno. I wanted her to drink it just because.

Inner DM: Why is Mirai playing by the pond? What if she drowns?

DM: I dunno. I wanted her to play by the pond just because. Plus she's a ninja baby. Surely she can ninja her way out if ever.

Inner DM: Why is Sasuke suddenly lame? For two years-almost three-he didn't know how to use Space-Time ninjutsu? Where was he going with his research on Kaguya all this time?!

DM: He has a blossoming love life. That ought to explain everything. Kaguya? What Kaguya? He is distracted with Hinata. Don't speak anymore.

Inner DM: Why is it-

DM: _Shhh!_ Enough! Quit it! The wardens might think I need another facility!


	19. XV

"I am in favor of Toneri-sama marrying Hinata," Hanabi's grandfather said after she told him everything that happened. As it turned out, he already knew and has no plans of stopping her grandmother's idiotic proposition either.

 _Toneri-sama?!_ Just who is that young man that even their grandfather would address him as such?

"But ojii-sama, it doesn't make sense." Hanabi tried to speak pacified, diplomatically even though her blood inside is accelerating up to a boiling point. Her grandfather was supposed to be a reasonable man. "Hinata nee-sama loves her husband. To do this to her is absolutely cruel, ojii-sama. Within our clan, marriages are upheld with sanctity. Why is it that even you find it favorable for my sister's marriage—a legal and binding marriage—to be neglected simply and without much thought?"

"I have come to realize that Sasuke Uchiha is a scum. And scum like him is unfit for our family."

 _Scum._ Her grandfather's words rang painfully inside her ears. The elderly man never used words to debase a person's character. How much loathing did their grandfather have for Sasuke Uchiha? It was never apparent before—this malevolence. Hanabi was rendered speechless.

"Go out now, Hanabi. I am tired." Tired when it was just early morning. The bush warblers chirped among the bamboo thickets vigorously.

"I understand." She said, eyes grave and wary. "Drink your tea, ojii-sama. It's cold." It was a statement meant to insult him. He is usually straight-laced about such matters. But then, he indeed looked lethargic. He didn't even twitch.

* * *

Tremors coursed Hinata's limbs.

Why now when she's feeling as miserable as she is? Haven't they noticed? Her elbows could barely support her own weight.

Hinata clenched her trembling lips, biting her cheek from the inside. It's not like they ever cared. She will not cry in front of her grandmother.

 _Sasuke_ , she silently called.

"Hisoka-san, pardon my rudeness, but the Byakugan Hime's condition is delicate," Toneri said. "You don't have to be so sudden about this. Though delighted by your invitation, I am disheartened for the Byakugan Princess."

"As you wish Toneri-sama. Hinata," Hisoka beckoned, trying to comfort with a chilled voice, "Toneri-sama is a very kind person. He will never hurt you. He grew with opulence, coming from a family in direct lineage to our prime ancestors, and he will be able to provide you everything you may ever want and need. With the kindness of your heart, you will surely come to love him too—slowly, taking the natural course of things.

"Affections can be learned."

They told her the same thing once—that it was her duty. And she learned to love him true, deeply, intermingling to her soul—the core of her being—as the roots of an old, old tree, sharply fastened to the ground, to the womb of the earth, unyielding beyond duty.

 _Sasuke._

She could almost hear him whisper, a froth of his breath on her ear, so palpable yet he isn't there. And now, the elders are thinking of replacing him like he was mud smeared on their palms; like the Uchiha attached to her name was an error that needed fixing, a crooked stroke that could be erased.

Sasuke. Sasuke. Sasuke!

She wants him now, in front of her, to tell him she loves him very much and nothing else matters, that she will only ever want him and nobody else. It was becoming impossible to hold back her tears.

 _Bang!_ —The shoji door almost flew off its indentations. It was Hanabi, all riled up with the likeness of the untamed wrought on her face and slump shoulders—quite a paradox from one who is dressed prettily in lovely colors.

"Hanabi! What are you doing?!" Hisoka shouted.

"I am taking onee-sama."

"Pay your respects to Toneri-sama! He comes directly from the original family ascending our clan!"

Hanabi helped her up but she can't feel her legs. "So? Does that compel me to call him 'Toneri-sama' and kiss up to him just like the rest of you do?"

"You're insufferable!" Their grandmother lashed.

A slight misstep and her ankles gave in, grabbing onto Hanabi's shoulder for support.

"We will see to it that this event will lead to your demerit," said another elder.

"The Hyuga cannot flourish with the ill energy surrounding the heiress," inferred the other council member.

Toneri neared Hinata to help but Hanabi put a foot in, blocking his way. "Don't touch her!" With her young sister's back to her, suddenly, what seemed so small turned to a great wall for refuge.

"You are strong." Toneri's serene articulation was a piercing gentleness through the thick tension inside the room made more compelling by the clothed metal structures resembling human forms lining the sides like earnest guards.

"I know," Hanabi smirked. "Sadly, that doesn't flatter me."

"Hanabi, know that we are decided about this! Toneri-sama can stay here for as long as he wants, and he will marry Hinata and that criminal Uchiha will be officially ousted from his ties with us!" Hisoka's voice bounced off the wooden walls, clanging about in desperate haphazard frequencies.

"Do what you want, obaa-sama. You are, after all, automatically the next in power."

Hinata could almost taste the sour sarcasm in her sister's words and maybe, some other time she could be the one who defends instead of the other way around; some other time when she's not driven to madness.

* * *

Hinata's long tresses veiled her face as Hanabi walked her to her bedroom. Her legs could barely stand and she had to lean much of her weight on her younger sister. She sat on the mattress and Hanabi kneeled in front of her, holding her hands trying to follow her thoughts.

"Hinata nee-sama, are you alright?"

Hinata's lips trembled as drops of her tears fell on Hanabi's hand, her head stayed low.

"Don't worry. I'm sure father will be against it. It doesn't make sense." But it could hurt Hinata more if she knew. But then, only Sasuke can really comfort her at this moment, she mentally debated.

Hinata didn't answer. She just silently cried, bigger tears continued to fall.

"Surely, Sasuke nii-san is thinking of you and is probably almost done with what he has to do. Don't you think so, Hinata nee-sama?" Comforting people is not really her forte. She is terrible at this.

Hanabi's words intended to comfort made Hinata cry even more. She whimpered and heaved, clawed painfully by the sorrow gnawing on her chest. A pinched, suppressed agony tore her throat. Her shoulders shook and her skin stuck to her protruding collar bones like a flimsy covering.

"Hinata nee-sama," the heiress began to worry, gently patting her sister's back. "You should breathe."

Then the tears became blotches of distilled red blood falling on Hinata's kimono. Hanabi's eyes widened with fear.

"Hinata nee-sama!" As she tilted her sister's downcast visage, she saw it—the blood streaming down her Byakugan. A filter of red bright glow on Hinata's pearlescent orbs, and from the greyish outlines of her lavender irises, a tomoe emerged, spiraling towards the center, stirred in a red fluorescent pool of milk.

 _Sharingan? Impossible!_ Hanabi could only stare in shock.

"Ah!" Hinata clutched her belly. "Help, chakra!" She winced. "My baby!"

Hanabi activated her own byakugan and was even more surprised with what she saw. The fusion of Hinata's chakra surrounding her stomach and the fetus' chakra—a tangible, solid mass of chakra from one still so tiny. Hanabi immediately understood what Hinata was doing and what she needed. She supplemented her sister with chakra, connecting and synching it to support Hinata's own chakra flow.

There was a threatened separation between Hinata's womb and the baby's protective covering.

As soon as Hinata finished mending the connective membrane, her unconscious body fell towards the bed which Hanabi was able to prop against her own.

Pulling on Hinata's pillow Hanabi carefully placed Hinata's head and aligned her body properly in place. Just as she was hauling her sister's legs, she saw a spot of blood on her backside.

"This could be bad."

Activating her Byakugan one again, the merging of chakras inside Hinata's chakra core had dissipated. Hanabi didn't notice the strong thumping of her own heart on her chest until she let out a sigh of relief.

"Hang in there, small guy." She stroked the growing swell, hoping for the best.

They need a medic, fast.

Hanabi pressed numbers on Hinata's telephone, eyeing a list of numbers on a page. She clenched the phone tight as she waited for the other line to pick up.

"Hello, Sakura-san. This is Hyuuga Hanabi. I'm sorry to have disturbed you but Hinata nee-sama needs you right now. It is only you I can trust." The Fifth Hokage's apprentice is pregnant too and she really didn't want to impose but she must. "Thank you very much!" She bowed low even when there was nobody in front of her.

When Sakura, Naruto, and Hinata's teacher came, she immediately led them to the room, moving hushed and cautiously inside her own house. Somehow, nowhere feels safe.

"It was a good thing you were there when it happened, Hanabi. Though she still needs to go to the hospital for further check-up after she's well rested. Make sure she eats and gets properly hydrated. I've been telling her." She clicked her tongue and ceased the green chakra emitted from her hands.

"What happened? What distressed Hinata so much?" Kurenai asked.

"A lot of things happened, actually. If you would ask who distressed her, there were a number of people, which probably included me," Hanabi answered wryly. Her attempt at giving comfort badly backfired.

The younger Hyuuga watched Sakura tidy away her things. She's a healthy-looking pregnant person, her complexion bright and pinkish whereas Hinata cried almost every day after her first trimester.

 _It's definitely white lily man's fault for not sending Hinata letters_.

Gone were the days of Hinata's creepy giggles. Add onto that the public knowledge that her brother-in-law has gone rogue, though she knows the truth. She had met him, in a village near Suna, during a mission and he was playing hero when he has a crying pregnant wife at home—not that Hanabi told him. The Uchiha should really find out for himself.

 _Was I evil?_ Hanabi began to reflect upon herself.

"Thank you very much, Sakura-san. I would not know what to do without you."

* * *

Sakura could only smile bleakly. Wherever is this poor woman's husband now, he should really come back as soon as possible. It wasn't like it was before, when he could leave whenever he wanted and come back whenever he felt like it. His situation has changed and Hinata should never be left alone to deal with these things all by herself. _Chanaro_ _! It's frustrating me!_

"I should go."

"I'll stay here for a little while longer," said Kurenai, watching Hinata sleep.

"I'm going ahead of you Kurenai-sensei," bade Sakura. "Goodbye."

Kurenai nodded and waved her hand.

"I'll see you out, Sakura-san," said the Hanabi.

"How is she?" asked Naruto who was very concerned but waited patiently outside the room.

Sakura knew about Sasuke not responding to Konoha's queries. Even though his mission is practically over when Furuike's leader was found dead in Kaze no Kuni weeks ago, he didn't return to report to Kakashi.

"She's doing fine," Sakura replied. "But Sasuke's going to get an earful from me when he gets back."

"Calm down, calm down," chanted Naruto as he massaged her shoulders, but his eyes were awfully deep in thought. Sakura knew if he had options not totally tied up to his duties as the incoming Hokage, Naruto would dash like mad just to drag Sasuke back to Konoha.

"Thank you very much for coming all the way here, Naruto-kun and Sakura-san," Hanabi bowed deep. "I deeply apologize for having caused you much trouble."

"Well, um, it's—it is nothing." Naruto had an awkward smile on his face. "Right Sakura-chan?"

"Indeed. It was a small thing for us and we are glad to help, Hanabi. Call us anytime, okay?" Hinata's sister is an adorable young girl in aquamarine yukata with cherry blossom patterns. Her long, silky ebony hair has small pink ribbons decorating the sides of her pretty face. It was almost a sad thing that she couldn't smile at the moment, trying to fight the fear in her eyes maintaing a noble bearing beyond her years.

Out from the corner, a person with white hair and freakishly pale skin appeared.

"Good day," he greeted, the arch of his bow a respect for the highly venerable.

 _He's a man, is he?_ _His complexion's way fair, like a white zetsu_.

Sakura didn't want to think of those monsters. The baby might end up looking like- _He reminds me of Kaguya_ , she added as an afterthought.

"Good day," Sakura replied and bowing lower than she's used to. There's something awkward about Hinata's household. Something about the deep seated politeness uncommon to colloquial life. It is good in a way, like the feeling of discipline and propriety.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto and this my wife, Uzumaki Sakura." They bowed again.

"I am Toneri," he smiled, his face beautiful and angelic.

"Toneri—?" Naruto waved a hand in front of the man's closed eyes. Sakura grabbed his arm and gave him a menacing glare.

"Naruto-kun and Sakura-san, this gentleman is a distant relative of some sort," answered Hanabi. "Somebody irrelevant and not worthy of mention."

Sakura's ears perked at the slight shift of air around Hanabi.

"Who let you in? You are not to enter the room." Her words were clear, cold icicles as she cast a cold glance at the blind man. When she shifted her attention back to them, she had a lovely smile on her face. "Shall we go this way?"

"Sh-shall we, Naruto." She looped her fingers around Naruto's wrist who was absentmindedly staring at Toneri.

As they walked away, Sakura glanced back at the distant Hyuuga relative. She could swear the strange blind man was looking at her husband.

"Sakura-chan, there's something off about that guy," Naruto later told her as they walked home. "He doesn't look like a Shinobi but I got a strange feeling from him. Almost like when we met Kaguya."

* * *

 _"Hinata."_

 _She heard someone call._

 _"Are you feeling alright?" The voice was like the air cooling her face._

 _"Sasuke-kun?" It's him. It can only be him. Gradually the image became clearer. It is really him. "Sasuke-kun…" He looked back at her. "I have something to tell you."_

 _"What is it?" The tone, the vowels and the calm utterance. It's definitely Sasuke. Happiness blossomed inside her chest._

 _"I have Sasuke-kun's baby inside my belly."_

 _She could clearly see his smile and the endearing splotches of blush on his cheeks. "You look beautiful." Hinata could feel herself blush too._

How she misses his tender smile, his cheeky smirks and his rare laughter.

 _"Thank you," she told him. She wanted to hold his hand but slowly, he was turning into a blur. "... Sasuke, please don't leave."_

Hinata felt a warmth touch her face.

 _"Sasuke?"_

She grasped the source of warmth caressing her cheek.

"Sasuke?" Her lashes fluttered awake. It was a dream. She was holding Kurenai's hand.

"Hinata, how are you feeling?"

Listening to her own breath, at the rising and falling of her chest, a moisture trickled down the sides of her eyes.

"I had a warm dream." But even there, the two of them were only together for a short while.

"That's good." Kurenai smiled back.

She lay on her bed silent for a while, running a hand over her belly. Relief mixed with sadness rushed as she felt the small life force. She could see its tiny heart using the Byakugan, pulsating adamantly, reminding her very much of his father.

"This child is strong." At that time, it wasn't just her who tried to hold on.

"That is very true. You have to be strong too, Hinata. Tell me if there's anything I can do."

Hinata nodded gently.

The door creaked and Hanabi entered the room, securing the lock properly before she sat on the bed with caution as if an intruder scared of breaking vases as she pranced about for pilfering.

"Hinata nee-sama, I'm so glad you're alright." The Hyuuga heiress was teary eyed, scrutinizing with eager concern.

"I'm sorry to have worried you, Hanabi."

"I saw it." She held Hinata's hands. "You had Sharingan. With your Byakugan activated. And your eyes were bleeding."

"But the Hyuuga don't possess Sharingan." Kurenai uttered in disbelief, gawking at herself for having stated the obvious. "How is that possible?"

"It wasn't mine. This child—mine and Sasuke's child—has his Sharingan awakened." She softly tittered. "Have you ever heard of such a thing? I wish Sasuke-kun could hurry home so that I can ask him about it—a fetus having Sharingan before even being born."

The other two ladies in the room could only look at each other.

* * *

•••

* * *

Third successful attempt at opening a portal and Sasuke could somehow see progress in it. He has reached random locations but the warp in space is highly unstable and proved to be detrimental to his body.

On his first attempt, he reached a coastal desert area, most probably a part of Kaze no Kuni still. Quite a feat except that his ears had almost burst and he couldn't even sustain a portal for more than a few seconds. It also greatly strained his Rinnegan, causing his left eye to bleed.

During his second successful attempt, he reached a glacial terrain. He was able to sustain the portal for about five minutes before he had to get out. Making another exit portal greatly strained and proved to be insurmountable—though nothing will deter him. Currently, he can only activate one portal, enter and exit through it before it deactivates.

His biological clock also predominantly slows down every time he enters a dimensional pathway.

It was early morning when he entered a rocky dimension with no signs of life. Before he entered the portal, the sun, a blazing orange plate was but a small piece of itself being birthed by the endless desert horizon into the lavender sky. Now, as he turns his head to the side, the lone bush which stood beside a well is but a dark silhouette in the moonlit silence.

Who knows how many days have actually passed during the time his brain calculated ten minutes inside the portal. Not to mention, he becomes greatly fatigued by the time he deactivates and it takes him two weeks at most to fully recover his Rinnegan. It was unfortunate that none of his previous research on Kaguya had given him hints on how to fully develop his space-time _nin_ _jutsu_.

If he's working hard, the Mangetsu no Kami is not dwindling down either. Sasuke is aware of the frequency with which the meteors have had hit. He knew about three in less than a month in Kaze no Kuni. Two of which he had successfully countered near Suna. The previous month, there was one in Iwa. Then another in the Lighting Country just this week—a week in his mind that is. Sasuke is also adamant in tracing any news of abductions and mundane groups suddenly acquiring power. Whoever the Mangetsu no Kami is, he bore a personal grudge against Sasuke, keeping him running in circles, leading him somewhere then nowhere, taunting him with the mockery that he can't go to the moon just yet.

He laid exhausted on the sand, heaving, and on his left eye trickled a spill of blood.

His hand reached up, grasping the distant sky as the desert wind carried away puffs of his breath.

It was really painful times like this that he wanted so badly to be with her. The bluish darkness of the heavenly firmament above reminds him of the color of her hair. She had probably already gone through all the clothing inside his bureau. He could hear her call for him inside his head, an illusion; her tender utterance a memory paling in comparison to how it really is to be cared by her, loved by her. He didn't know it would really hurt missing someone who misses you just as much.

But home wasn't a place he could return to. No, not because nobody waits there. That wasn't the case anymore.

How could he go to her when homes were destroyed because of him?

Everything about Hinata, the feelings they shared and moments spent together seemed to jeer at him at recall sided with the Furuike's commander revelation.

When did a man like him deserve Hinata?

Uchiha Sasuke falling in love and finding reciprocity has to be the greatest farce in the universe.

Brushing off his dire sentiments, he steeled his eyes and tried to get up. He winced at the pain trekking his sternum.

His current struggle is on keeping himself protected, encapsulating his body with chakra to fend against the sudden shift in spatial pressure created by the unstable warp connecting great distances, while keeping the portal open to a dimension of his choice and not just some random location. Moreover, the factors which determine the conscious maneuver of space that leads to a certain location of a dimension are still unsurmised so even if he wanted to go to the moon, he doesn't know how to get there just yet.

Using mental image to conjure swapping of places as in Amenotejikara doesn't work with opening portals.

Sasuke construed his current method to be elementary albeit highly demanding. Alternatively, if he develops endurance and resistance to the strain, he should be able to manifest another portal thereby permitting him to probe a dimension at his own advantage. He is ultimately aiming for the second method knowing the enemy residing on the moon is not one to be trifled with.

Suddenly, he heard a loud thump. A person lay prostrate on the sand floor.

Limply walking for a closer inspection, Sasuke discovered that the man had travelled without proper protection. His feet were blistered with arms burned by the sun. Locks of his long hair tangled in a chaos strung together by the harsh spikes of wind.

Sasuke carefully rolled the body over to check for pulse. A coyote howled from a distance. Upon seeing the sojourner's face, the moonlight and shadows casted a familiar pattern. Cold sweat squeezed out of his pores.

"Hiashi-san!"

つづく

* * *

Daifuku Mochiin Corner! 田

Fun Naruto Fact: There are no spaceships in the Narutoverse. Also, I have read that mobile phones do exist and Sasuke actually has one (according to Naruto) but he couldn't charge it when out on missions so...

Here are some names and their kanji (Source: Google and other websites):

Hanabi (花火) - 花 or hana means flower (which is really relevant to the title of this story). The 火 read as bi means fire. It means 'fire cracker'.

Hinata (日向; Also the kanji used for Hyuuga) - 日 read as "hi" means the sun or day. 向 has a variety of meaning (yonder, facing, beyond, confront, defy, tend toward, approach). The two kanji together means 'sunny place' or 'in the sun'.

Sasuke (佐助) - the name doesn't actually mean anything (and the kanji is from a certain shrine's name). It's like a Superman moniker for ninja or something like that. 佐 read as "sa" means help or assistant. 助 read as "suke" means help, rescue or assist.

Hiashi (日足) - I found out that there are many ways to write Hiashi in kanji but I chose this one. 日 "hi" meaning sun and 足 "ashi" meaning foot. It means 'daytime'. In this chapter, Hiashi was under the sun for hours, traveling on foot. (Why? Please look forward to it.)

Toneri (舎人) - 舎 means a house, mansion, cottage, inn or a hut. 人 is a character for person. Together, it means umm... a person who stays at home? lol. Kidding aside, he was named after an actual Japanese imperial prince.


	20. XVI

"Hanabi-sama?" A muffled voice called, followed by another knock.

Hinata woke but stayed in bed, still feeling slightly lethargic. The bed bounced as Hanabi shifted and slid out.

"Just a minute." Hanabi's voice was a little hoarse. Her poor sister didn't get much sleep last night, trying her best to watch over her. Hinata felt bad causing Hanabi such worries.

The servant girl told Hanabi that a guest had come for her. A handsome young man with white hair who brought many gifts carried by some strange looking people.

"Tell the person to get out. No one in this house is willing to see him."

"Hanabi," Hinata gently shook her head sideways. "Tell Toneri-san I shall meet him after a while." Hanabi directed a funny look at her with brows furrowed and nostrils flared up.

"Okay, Hinata-sama." The maidservant left.

"Why? You should never mingle with him. The elders might think that you're following their stupid plans! And when that happens, they'll impose more," argued Hanabi.

"I have to be careful. I don't want to risk any harm befalling my baby again." Strong anger had consumed her. It was very new and overwhelming. She reflected upon her own neglect for letting those feelings take over her. She almost lost the precious baby conceive out of her and Sasuke's love. "We have to be calm about this. The least we can do now is wait for otou-sama to come home." Slowly getting out of bed, she turned to the window where morning sunlight streaked in. "I am not certain when Sasuke-kun is coming back so I must have discernment and face the problem with tact. Obaa-sama is obstinate."

"You know what, we should use Gentle Fist on her. That way she'd learn her lesson the hard way."

Hinata laughed and replied, "Shall we?" ending with sweet giggle.

"Oooh," Hanabi teased. "You're actually agreeing with me for once!"

"Just kidding." The expectant mother smiled as she caressed her belly in circles. "Or maybe not. I'm actually very angry about it, and I'm beginning to think my Gentle Step Twin Lion Fist is not a bad idea."

An awkward laughter erupted from Hanabi. "Yeah. Obaa-sama should be reminded who's the only person in the family daring enough to fight Pain."

"I was actually surprised yesterday."

"Of what?"

"Of myself." Hinata sat in front of the mirror and began combing her hair. "I felt really angry and sad, vengeful, like scorching flames were fanning on my chest and my arms were trembling." Her hand stopped combing. "But I could only cry. I wanted to hurt them and tried to hold it in, which really weakened me afterwards. It felt very dangerous." She turned to Hanabi squatted on the bed. "Have you ever felt something like it?"

Their family never indulged in wrath. Expressing one's anger is frowned upon. The Hyuuga seethe like cold, cold ice that burns the skin and freezes blood but never a fire consuming.

"Maybe." Hanabi shrugged her shoulders. She's a rare kind of Hyuuga who slams shoji doors when really mad. "But not you. Then again, you were never pregnant before. I think it has something to do with that."

"Un." Hinata nodded with eyes wide. "And then the baby used chakra. You saw it too, didn't you? Now that I think about it, that's amazing isn't it?" She wrapped her arms around her belly, grinning.

"Hinata nee-sama, I'm not sure if it's something that can be confined to amazing. Maybe abnormal is a better word?"

"The chakra is even similar to Sasuke-kun. This child is really Sasuke-kun's baby."

"Who else is the father of the baby?" Hanabi's lips quirked, shaking her head. "You're being weird again."

"It's as if Sasuke-kun is just right here," Hinata caressed her belly. "And I almost lost it."

Hanabi got out of the bed to kneel down Hinata's feet. She embraced her sister's waist, resting a cheek on Hinata's belly.

"You should do your best. Even if it's hard, you definitely should. I'm here to help you onee-sama so please do your best."

Hanabi's words held a lot. Behind her immature antics, the small girl who used to follow Hinata around carried a heavy load on her shoulders.

" _Arigatou_ , Hanabi." Hinata caressed her sister's face and tucked a lock of hair behind Hanabi's ear. Her eyes and cheekbones are definitely becoming womanly. "I will definitely do my best." If she did not have this bright firecracker in her life, she wondered how she would've go on at all. "Even though I'm the elder sister, I always end up depending on you."

Hanabi shook her head. "Perhaps you don't know onee-sama, but it is I who depends on you."

* * *

Toneri sat on the floor when Hanabi and Hinata entered the receiving room. He smiled happily and with familiarity.

"Good day, Hinata." He bowed with much grace, his long neck looking almost feminine. Behind him were four life-sized porcelain dolls, clad in kimono, sitting formally in a straight array with various wrapped items in front of them.

"Good day, Toneri-san." Hinata reciprocated the gesture. "What brought you to visit us today?" Hanabi stood a behind her, eyes vigilant like a hawk searching for prey. She brought a chair with a cushion for Hinata to sit on. No chair for the guest. He may sit on the floor to his liking.

The porcelain dolls moved and carried the boxes near Hinata. "I brought these for you." His lips curved up for an innocent smile.

Toneri's puppets began to uncover the white wooden boxes, each containing valuable items like rare silken fabrics, wares made of crystals and porcelain that glittered, dried herbs, spices, grains and nuts, fleshly fruits and fresh vegetables far succulent and delectable than Hanabi had ever seen. Various fruity and natural aromas filled the room.

One of Toneri's puppets handed him a black shiny box embellished with intricate carvings and an emblem of a crescent moon engulfing a sphere. As the inside of the box was revealed, there were precious jewels in bangles and bracelets, necklaces with beads resembling vividly colored pearls and elaborately decorated hairpins. At the center, placed on a velevet cushion, was a multi band golden ring, crested with small aqua and purplish gems, bejewelled with an extraordinary precious stone orb, iridescent in colors resembling the moon reflecting starry skies at sunset with its blue, pink and sharp orange infusion.

 _Okay, he's rich._ _I'll give him_ _that_ , Hanabi mused. If the man had a tail, he'd be wagging it now. He seemed very eager to please Hinata.

"I hope you will accept these small gifts, Hinata," he said.

Hanabi scoffed at the stranger's presentation. His comportment is highly dubitable. With a face like that coupled with riches and a gentle demeanor, Toneri is a highly qualified manipulator.

"I deeply apologize, Toneri-san," replied Hinata. "I cannot accept these."

His face changed from a smiling angel into an abandoned helpless being within a matter of seconds. "Forgive me if I couldn't bring better gifts that suit your tastes. I should have been more aware. The beautiful Byakugan Princess surely deserves better than these. Please forgive my presumptuousness."

Hanabi had to pinch her arm as she suddenly started sorry for the man. And was the _Byakugan Princess moniker_ supposed to woo her sister?! Maybe in the lost ancient time of Hisoka and her senile quarry who now calls people scum did boys call girls princesses.

"Oh no," Hinata said. "I didn't mean it like that. These are too lavish. It is against my principle to accept gifts when I can't give you anything in return."

Hanabi drew a smug grin. _Yes, Hinata nee-sama. Crush Hyuuga Hisoka's pawn! Pulverize him to bits!_

The corners of his mouth forced a smile and the undue poignancy of his mien agitated Hanabi. His shoulders slowly began to drop.

"Tell me, Byakugan Princess, what must I do to please you?"

"Toneri-san." Hinata clasped her hands together, and when she does that, Hanabi knew she meant business. "You don't have to acquiesce at my grandmother's bidding."

"It may be Hisoka-san who sent for me to ask for your hand in marriage but I am more than happy to abide."

"Why? I am already married and pregnant."

"In my clan, a divorced pregnant woman may remarry after she gives birth."

Hanabi almost gaped. How daring! The nerve! Her fists clenched.

"But I am not—" Hinata's voice slightly raised.

"I know." There was hurt in the way his brows furrowed. "But my father promised to have you as my bride, back when I was a mere child."

A sudden silence hit the room. It's as if even the birds hushed their jolly sounds.

"I have loved you even before then," he added. "You didn't know about me but I have loved you, all this time, from afar, by myself."

"I-I'm… I'm sorry, Toneri- san."

Hanabi glared, examining the man's face from a distance. How is it possible for a blind man to fall in love with a person he hadn't even met? Sure Hinata is beautiful but he really can't appreciate the full visual aspect of that quality unless he could actually see… with his eyes closed. There were no protrusions beneath his eyelids. It sounded creepy but she is sure that Toneri didn't have eyeballs. Who is this Toneri? Where did he come from? Her father nor the elders never mentioned anything of the sort even when they were all about setting Hinata up with all kinds of strange suitors, trying to sell her off. Whatever happened to this man couldn't be anything good.

"Had I come earlier, maybe I could have married the one I love."

If he had eyes, he would be crying. Hanabi took a deep breath, feeling suffocated at the sudden melodramatic turn.

"My father died many years ago. If he was alive, he would have talked to your father about it."

The younger Hyuuga suddenly felt like a terrible person—which she didn't mind. Ploys. Ploys and artifices exist within the Hyuuga, she reminded herself, sob stories included.

"I was ultimately left to administer my clan's estate. But then, about two years ago, disaster struck our lands and I had to spearhead the recovery efforts. Just as everything was done and I was prepared to take you as my bride, you already married someone else."

Hanabi decided to interfere. "We are very sorry for your loss, Toneri-san. Do forgive us if we cannot offer anything but empty words of sympathy." Hinata held her hand reminding her to tame words. "My sister is happily married though her husband is away as for the moment, spearheading a dangerous mission himself. We, however, convey to you our deepest condolences," the younger Hyuuga bowed low. Hinata followed as well.

"I appreciate your sincerity." He bowed in return. "If you don't take to it badly, I have a humble request."

Hanabi smirked.

 _Right. I know of things like this._

Requests that follow sob stories, intended to ensnare the gullible.

"What is it?" asked Hinata.

"Do you suppose you could accept the edible items I brought? It would be a pity for these to go to waste."

Hanabi's eyes turned wide, greatly taken aback.

 _Who is this guy? Is he for real?_

After eyeing the fruits, Hinata smiled and said: "Well then, shameless as it may seem but I will accept."

Toneri smiled his loveliest and the moment he did, Hanabi grimaced. His head moved down then up as if to gaze through his sealed eyelids, then down again at his thumbs rubbing each other. His shoulders squeezed together and a light blush tinted his pale cheeks.

That was a hopeful's face.

Hope. Fool.

It left bitter bile to settle on her stomach like she wanted to crush something at that instant.

"If you don't mind I'd like to cook for you as well. Take it as helping me mend my broken heart. I will not ask for more."

"No," Hanabi abruptly responded. "Hinata nee-sama's food is particular. She cannot eat just anything. There are natural ingredients harmful for pregnant women. You're not thinking of taking advantage of that, are you?"

"Oh no. That would be terrible. I dearly love Hinata. I would never want any harm to befall her."

Goosebumps grew on Hanabi's arms. _He's creepy_ , she thought, shamelessly confessing his love when he absolutely doesn't stand a chance. Pitiful but creepy.

"It is my heart's desire to do what I can especially that her husband currently absent."

He's very persistent too.

"Let me take care of you in small, simple ways."

And practically begging.

"Please don't take it any other way but have your meal with us, Toneri-san," Hinata offered.

"Hinata nee-sama!" Hanabi clenched her fists. The pregnant woman merely looked at Hanabi, her eyes filled with pity.

Internally screaming, the Hyuuga heiress yielded to her sister's merciful temperament.

 _Fine! I'll take this chance to torture him!_

Huffing, Hanabi grumpily folded her arms. "I will supervise your activities to make sure your sliced bloody fingers don't end up in the soup or whatever it is you're making." He's blind, remember? Cooking? _Ugh_. She rolled her eyes. _Greatest idea in the universe._

"Hanabi!" Hinata whispered close to hissing.

"Oh, it's alright. I can see perfectly well as any normal person does." He beamed at the Hanabi, his teeth all perfectly white and aligned. "With chakra emitted from my forehead, I can see your youthful face bright and clear."

Hanabi was reminded of bats and their echolocation. Her grandmother's pawn is truly a creepy freak.

* * *

As he was cooking, Hanabi required Toneri to wear a white frilly apron just to emasculate him. Since he was wearing a flowing satiny white robe as a top, he is now looking like some doctor's wife with fluffy hair, stuck in the hospital kitchen. She made sure to laugh at him.

"Aw, now you look pretty and fashionable," Hanabi casually said—considered impolite when talking to people who are older and unfamiliar. Surely, it's going to irritate him, and when that happens, his anodyne façade will be eaten by the fishes like the moss on the pond.

Unexpectedly, much to Hanabi's dismay, instead of irritation, there was serenity on his face.

"No one has ever told me that before," he replied as he rolled up his sleeves, revealing a pair of flawless forearms. "Thank you."

The Hyuuga heiress forgot he's a creep. He probably didn't know what she meant. The man has more beautiful wrists than she does.

Soon after, Hanabi noticed Toneri's obsession with measurements. It was tolerable at first as he cut onions and garlic cloves. But then, he painstakingly sliced every single vegetable, the carrots, the tomatoes, the kale, even the vegetables for his stock (which no one will see because it's a stock), no matter what shape and size, each cut just had to be of the same length and in auspicious numbers too. Just imagine the numbers you needed to crunch!

She really lost it when he started heating the pan. Directing all of his focus on a spoon, he held his breath as he poured out the oil. He made sure that it filled to the brim, close to spilling, the zenith point, before putting it on the pan.

"You know what? Just let me do it." A prick of irritation tickled Hanabi's forehead vein.

 _Just pour it directly on the pan! Arrgh!_

"Oh, it's alright," he said with an angelic smile. "It is my greatest desire to give Hinata nothing but the best and the most perfect state of things."

The heiress built resistance to it by regarding what seemed innocent in the man as "schooled". It can't be any other way. Even she does it sometimes. Smile prettily, dress prettily and people will like you. It facilitates the negotiation process. Once you play an aggressive hand, the other party is caught off guard and you get the higher end of the bargain.

He measured everything, from salt to water, from the thyme to the lemon juice finish. She has officially given up on him as a proper human. Toneri is hopeless, blindly following a recipe inside his cuckoo head. He also stirred the soup at regular intervals in equal number of strokes per interval. Worst of all, despite all the hassle, his cooking tasted bland. Japanese cuisine, as what the Hyuuga household is used to, may not of the savory kind but what he cooked on the stove, with all of its aroma and color, will never get high marks in the heiress' evaluation. She made sure to try everything first before letting Hinata eat anything, all the ingredients considered safe for conceiving women.

"So so. Passable but not quite there." Rubbing the flavour on her tongue, she decided she's definitely better. "Your food is boring." She took another sip from the saucer.

He smiled again. "Do you suppose Hinata will find it acceptable?" He blushed too.

 _The hope fool_. It irked Hanabi how he graciously responds to her insults.

"If I'm not dead after ten minutes, my sister may eat your dishes. Only then you'll know."

He gave her a nod, anticipation evident in his expression—a clueless boy unlearned to the ways of the cruel world. This obedient play of his is getting to Hanabi. It's fanning her ego.

After the table was set and Hinata sat down to eat, Toneri turned solemn as if his life is on the line.

 _Not so confident, are you?_ She simpered at his insecurity.

As Hinata lifted the bowl to her lips, swallowing and the soup made its way into her mouth, Toneri didn't dare move—maybe even held his breath. Hanabi observed Hinata. Her sister just had a neutral expression on her face. Looking at Toneri, a smug grin appeared on her face. It's definitely torturing him and she found satisfaction in that.

"It's very good Toneri-san. The flavors are brought out wonderfully." Hinata smiled taking in the scent. "It smells delightful too."

Slowly his features came alive and his happiness multiplied for every morsel Hinata ate. Hanabi noted how her sister ate better compared to most days. Hinata decided to do her best. It has nothing to do with Toneri's cooking. He is a fool to believe Hinata is eating because she likes what he made.

"Are you not eating?" Hanabi asked. The man just sat across them, "watching" Hinata eat. She has thought about it many times now but— _he's really creepy._

He stirred and glanced back at her with one of his angelic smiles. His hold on the _hashi_ looked uncomfortable. Hanabi had the urge to correct it. She didn't let him use the spoon. Fun torture.

"It's nice having people to eat with," he said.

Hinata looked at her, perhaps unsure of what he meant and Hanabi shrugged her shoulders back.

 _Who knows what he's saying. Let's not pry into it._

It is good to know more about the enemy but soon, when Hiashi comes back, Toneri will be gone as he is just a mere pawn. Delving deep into his circumstance is unnecessary. It's unlikely that he sat alone at a table, eating all by himself as a young orphaned boy just as Hanabi imagined for a moment. He had his clan's estate to administer, didn't he? Surely, with his riches and amicability, among his clansmen, many would be more than willing to give him company. That's how it always is.

People kiss up to people who could give them power, or people who are exploitable. Toneri seemed to belong to the latter.

* * *

Hinata went to the hospital for a check-up. Kurenai sat beside her, cradling her sleeping daughter. She had Mirai taken to the pedia for her monthly vaccinations. The poor baby girl cried before falling asleep.

Across them were a couple also waiting for their turn. The wife looked like she is close due. She held hands with her husband, laughing as they talked. The woman had a very radiant smile, sitting side by side with the man she loves.

It was a mundane part of the day. The wind blew still, the birds chirped and the sky was sunny. Outside, as Hinata glanced by the window behind her, the sakura trees were bare of its gorgeous pink flowers and green leaves were growing on the twigs instead. Every spring, the blossoms would light up the streets with loveliness and refreshing patients who had to stay in the hospital bed over the winter. It signified renewal. Families gathered around the lawn, spreading out picnic blankets to bask in the view of the flowers, bursting pink with all their might even just for a short period. _Hanami_ becomes a gathering of couples too—one of the reasons why Hinata was a bit apprehensive when Kurenai invited her last spring.

She ends up imagining herself leaning on Sasuke's shoulder, holding his hand as they walked along the streets. Then the falling sakura petals would shower their path as his obsidian eyes gazes at her.

Now the petals lay stuck on the ground, colorless, dry and crushed with dirt.

The woman wanted something sweet to drink, Hinata heard her say, to which the husband responded with suggestions of sweet drinks available nearby. Pomegranate juice, the woman said. Then the husband went ahead saying he'll be right back.

"Mama pee," Mirai said, rubbing her drowsy eyes.

"Okay, baby," Kurenai replied. She excused herself, carrying her daughter and Hinata was alone for the while.

She couldn't help but look at the young woman in front of her. She has freckles on her cheekbones and her wavy auburn hair unfurled like the flowers on her garbs, complimenting the way her eyes twinkled.

"You look beautiful," Hinata said.

"Ah," the woman simpered. "Thank you. You look beautiful yourself."

"When are you due?" Her belly was very big already, almost reaching until her under bust.

"First or second week of the July. I'm kind nervous actually," the woman chuckled. Her yukata had white lily patterns.

Someone important had a birthday on early July. White lilies.

 _Neji nii-san_. She should visit his grave soon.

They were flowers of death, of Neji who left them with memories of his kindness, of the purity of his heart, and his undeniable strength.

Until Sasuke gave them another meaning.

To Hinata, they became flowers that signified Sasuke's patience and anticipation, his sadness and the kindness hidden inside his heart—wanting to show, waiting to be loved. Sasuke was often times a quiet man but then he'd be desirous and tended to her in ways she never knew. She became the happiest wrapped around his arms. Like a white lily, Sasuke gave her beauty.

"You are going to do just fine," Hinata replied. Though she is also new to the ordeal, she knew the woman will be just fine. "You have the person you love beside you after all." The woman has the greatest luxury Hinata could only wish for as of the moment.

* * *

Eyeing his puppets washing the pans, dishes and bowls, Hanabi thought maybe she could give Toneri a bit of a compliment.

It's not because she's feeling kind all of a sudden.

One must not withhold gratitude, even towards the enemy. She is _somewhat_ thankful that he worked hard cooking for Hinata. It wasn't that delicious but it was easy to eat and nutritious. Whatever. She cooked better.

"I find your puppets interesting. How do you control them? They're seamless." Manipulating inanimate puppets usually require chakra threads to move as the user wills.

"They're passed down from my ancestors and have been with me for as long as I remember." Two porcelain dolls proceeded to clean the table and the floor. "I send commands using this seal at the back of my neck." He parted the white hair at his delicate nape to reveal a peculiar seal.

"How does that work?" It was a baffling method. Both parties in a _juinjutsu_ are usually living, animated beings. Like the Caged Bird Curse Seal, which is _definitely_ going away.

"The puppets also have seals." He showed Hanabi a puppet's porcelain nape. There were two seals, though the other one looked like Toneri's seal. He pointed to a concave symbol. "This means 'to submit'. My ancestors used seals to bind, to connect people and things."

"What is this other seal? There's chakra residing these puppets."

"This is a receiver's seal—that is to receive from a power source. The puppets are basically life-like. My seal means 'authority' and it enables me to command the puppets with my mind."

"How many puppets do you own? You also have the metallic ones, right?"

They looked like tall metal sculpture guards decorating Hyuuga Hisoka's quarters, fitting for her grandmother's cold image.

"I have hundreds mobilized at home," he replied.

"Why? Why would you inefficiently use chakra on puppets? That doesn't make sense." There's only one answer. Toneri really is a freak-hobbyist just as she initially thought. "You don't look like you fight but really, you can use your chakra for better purposes. I suppose they're convenient, but still." Hanabi noticed their housemaid mesmerized by Toneri for the lady was left with nothing better to do.

"Forgive me if I baffled you, heiress." He briefly chuckled. The man had a light laughter like the falling of a leaf or the curve of a flower petal—not that Hanabi wanted dwell on the thought. "I am not the power source."

She suddenly felt floored. "How?" Where does he come from? What sort of arcane understanding does he possess that a shinobi's rudiments didn't apply? "Who's chakra?" Hanabi felt ignorant.

"Not a person, but a precious object. My clan's secret treasure."

"What is it?"

"I am not telling." He smiled. "Though I must say your eyes are truly very pure."

She shrugged off the compliment. He's changing the topic. _Sure, fine,_ Hanabi thought. Who cares about his clan's secret treasure? It's not like she's dying to know. He's still her grandmother's pawn… with knowledge about arcane things; things she had never heard before. Behind that innocuous face, he could be hiding a lot too.

She decided to have him tailed by Kou, her father's trusted subordinate, preeminently tasked to watch over Hinata from childhood to maidenhood.

"I want you to keep an eye on Toneri." They must be alert. "Report to me anything suspicious."

" _Hai_ , Hanabi-sama," said Kou, firmly.

She observed Toneri from afar, her eyes peeking behind semi-open shoji doors. A dainty bird landed on his shoulder and another landed on his head. Then came a brown dog that kept jumping on at him. His white pants will surely get stains. She glanced back at Kou.

"What about Min-san?" He is one of the few who went with their father on his trip. "Where is my father now?" It wasn't supposed to take so long.

"Still no response, Hanabi-sama."

"Do you suppose something happened?" Hanabi didn't like the notion but it is a possibility.

"I sure hope not, but if it comes down to it, they are more than capable of protecting Hiashi-sama. Min and his men had fought during the war."

"Indeed." But the Hyuuga heiress couldn't shake off the queasy feeling. "You may go now."

As soon as Kou exited the room, Hanabi slid open the shoji and stepped out into the _engawa_. More birds approached Toneri as he stood outside in the courtyard, chirping on his shoulders. He squatted to give the dog a pat on the head when another stray entered, asking for a pat too.

Did he bathe himself with bird feed and dog food? Hanabi shook her head, raising a brow. Even animals could take advantage of him.

"You seem to have a lot of free time." Seriously, when is he planning to go home? It is crystal clear that Hinata is never giving up on Sasuke. "Don't you have better things to do?" She placed a pair of _geta_ on the ground and slipped into them. When she walked closer to Toneri, the birds flew away.

"The birds are scared of you," he said.

 _They should be, 'cause you're very likeable, aren't you?_ She scoffed. Hanabi remembered one time she was practicing gentle fist on a tree and a whole flock of rattled magpies perching on the branches fled for dear life.

He ruffled the brown dog's fur. "This one is asking for food. And this one told me he wanted a pat." He did just that on the other black dog with white spots. "I did not know these creatures liked their hair to be ruffled. They told me it felt good. Wonderful creatures. They are very likeable."

"You speak _dog_?" Hanabi gawked at him. It's not like he resembled anyone from the Inuzuka Clan.

"I hear these creatures and understand them. Before this world comes to its end, I wish I could bring them along with me."

 _Yeah, 'before the world comes to its end'. Right._ Maybe he is referring to the meteors. There are people of the same opinion. Astronomers explained it differently though. It's just a cyclical phenomenon. She also refused to think it could be something more. The Hyuuga heiress already has a lot to worry about for the mean time. Bring the dogs with him, he said. Where is he going anyway? To _baka_ planet?

"Hnn." She decided to humor him. "You're not bringing anyone with you? Just the dogs?" Surely, he will answer Hinata.

"I am bringing Hinata with me, of course," he answered, without even a doubt or a break of thought.

Hanabi laughed. He is predictable. "Give up, Toneri. You will never have a place in her heart." Not adding honorific, she realized, was quite liberating. _To. Ne. Ri._ It sounds like an old man's name. _Old man Toneri._

He stopped touching the dogs. She saw his jaws clench.

 _Oh, he's getting mad._

That would be interesting to see.

"How can you be so sure?" Toneri's height towered as he faced her, his fine white brows a bit scrunched. "She was forced to marry him, wasn't she?"

"But she learned to love him. You're only hurting yourself if you insist your way." Hanabi may be young and inexperienced but she saw Hinata suffer, silently crying to herself on rainy nights because of an unrequited love. "I'm sure you can learn to love another too. Just look at these cute dogs."

The dogs were panting and wagging their tail, ogling and expecting another petting from the white haired man.

"They will never break your heart," she added.

Toneri's face had a serious expression, deep in thought it seems, but he crouched back on the ground to pat the dogs.

"I like talking to you but I do not like it when you say those things to me," he replied.

 _Naïve,_ Hanabi mentally jeered. He has knowledge about certain things she didn't know about, but he's too unaware. He reeks of it. He has long, elegant fingers and fragile wrists. His neck curved beautifully too. Even his hair is ike a mop of cotton with cute curled edges.

With an index finger, Hanabi reached out to an unruly curl at the back of Toneri's head. It tickled her skin.

つづく

* * *

Daifuku Mochiin Corner! 田

From the bottom of my DM heart thank you for the reviews, I'm sorry for the wait and know that I try to respond. There were speculations during the last update and reading them was a lot of fun! Keep 'em coming! *evil laugh*

Hanami - flower viewing

Juinjutsu - cursed sealing; used to bring someone under the user's control

In _hanakotoba_ , sakura or cherry blossom means kind or gentle. To the Japanese, it also symbolizes good omen, love and affection, and the transience of life. To the Chinese, the sakura flower is associated with female beauty, dominance and sexuality, and also love.

Toneri's dish is from an actual recipe I found on the internet.


	21. XVII

The doctor told her it was a miracle that placental abruption was avoided. She was told not to do anything strenuous be it physically or emotionally. Scolded by the doctor for her declining weight, she made sure to eat properly during lunch and dinner. She has been a neglectful mother, one who hurts her child.

Then she thought of him. It would be nice if she could tell him to run errands for her. Just like the couple back at the hospital this morning, she could tell him what she wanted to eat and he'd immediately buy it for her. Then Sasuke would scold her if she didn't do her best. Come to think of it, Sasuke never scolds her, not even during training when he's very strict with the Hyuuga guards.

Sometimes she'd imagine him closing in on Konoha. But then her Byakugan always spoils her excitement and she saves it for another day, the struggle a swing moving to and fro the disappointment.

She sat flaccid and propped against the wooden beam in the outer corridor. Crickets stridulate; the heavy sounds seeming to elevate and descend, synchronizing with the way she breathes.

The moon is full again but she is alone still. Her eyes moistened. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she whispered to the dear tenant inside her womb.

Looking up, she wondered if he could see it too—the profoundness of the moon against the night sky... Dark like his hair, like his eyes. The nights should be longer because it reminded her of him and maybe, as the darkness enfolds her, he'd be there, manifest and then he'd finally see the tears streaming down her cheeks, endless like a river rushing to bring him to her.

A warm blanket was hung on her shoulders.

Her heart leaped in surprise. It was Toneri. She didn't even feel his presence.

"I'm sorry, Hinata," Toneri said, his tone cautiously gentle as if fearing Hinata would break. "I was worried you'd be cold."

" _A-arigatou_ ," she replied, sniffling as she wiped her face.

"Why are you crying?" Toneri seemed to glow against the dark, his white complexion and white robes a stark contrast, almost florescent.

"It's pretty normal for some pregnant women," she replied. "Getting depressed because of hormonal imbalance." She tried to smile but her lips felt heavy.

"Hormonal imbalance?" His head popped alert quizzically.

"I suppose people here get that. I see." He nods to himself. "I believe I can help with that through my dishes," he said, alight and excited about his proposition.

"Oh, I-I don't want to impose, Toneri-san," Hinata replied, almost panicking. Toneri is a very unpredictable character, someone who can lower your defenses and suddenly display persistence.

"No?" He frowned childishly. A firefly landed on his nose, it's bottom blinking and shedding light on his face, casting shadows on his soft elegant features.

It made Hinata laugh a little.

Toneri smiled in return. Soon after, more fireflies surrounded him and as he walked towards the center of the lawn, tiny lights scattered about like the stars in the sky seeming to celebrate the birth of the moon.

"The moon looks beautiful tonight," Hinata said. "It always does."

"It is. But soon, the moon will fade."

"True," Hinata said weakly, reminded of its waxing and waning, and she had witnessed each passing phase, waiting. "It fades and I wait again until it's full."

"Indeed. And it will be fuller after it's faded."

"It will definitely be fuller." Her heart's anticipation will be fulfilled upon his return, with his caresses and they will be able to love each other again. This time sweeter and fuller for they have tarried long.

Toneri just stood there watching Hinata while the fireflies seemed to continuously hover about.

Hinata gazed at the flickering light landing on the curved tip of Toneri's hair.

"Toneri-san's hair is nice," she said.

She folded the blanket as she stood to leave, truly smiling and grateful for what she was reminded of. The curl and color of his hair looked like pressed white lily petals on parchment paper.

"Good night."

The man blushed, touching his hair. No one had complimented his hair before.

"Good night, Hinata." He watched her intensely as she went inside, her dark hair flowing like an exquisite threading.

* * *

Silently entering her room, she kneeled on the floor by the bed and reached underneath. Blindly searching with her hand, her wrist bumped on a box tucked in a silent dark corner of the bed frame. Sliding the box into the light, her fingers traced the familiar edges to reveal its contents.

Amongst the pile of stationaries, stamps and parchment paper are albums of her _oshibana_. Collections of flowers she had the chance of picking, pressed and fashioned into pictures. Simple sunflower stalks by the roadside, a lovely bunch she used to gather in her hand as her team passed by a field of cosmos, honeysuckles or rare larkspurs growing in meadows among others that caught her eyes. It had always been like that until a particular, unexpected young man began gifting her white lilies every time he visited. That was back before they married.

When she became that person's wife, it had been seldom but he gave her more. Those lilies she received from their last date, autumn of the previous year, were glued on a red handbound album's last pages. She looked at them after what seemed like a long time. Hinata smiled contentedly at how the recent ones had turned out. She slowly stood up and gently sat on the bed.

Pulling on the lamp switch by their nightstand, she turned to the first washi page. Everything that this particular album contained have been from Sasuke. She didn't have much thought when she started it. There was no well-thought explanation as to why his flowers were in a separate album.

The first white lily she received from him had each of its petals carefully laden, pressed to a perfect flatness, tense and adamant about symmetry and form, wondering why he wanted her as his wife when he was someone so remote, trapped in his own secluded, powerful world. She remembered how her fingers trembled, pious as she took each petals apart, carefully arranging them on parchment paper before pressing for a permanent form. He was scary but she was curious about the vague delight in his face.

Maybe it was because he brought a flower every time and that made the flowers unlike anything she had gathered for herself. Or maybe it was because she knew she was to marry him, and preserving the flowers he gave was her wishing he'd take good care of her too. They were strangers and she knew nothing of how he will treat her in the future. She could remember thinking on most nights if Sasuke would be kind even after they married and lived together.

Browsing further into the album, she came upon a lily with scarred petals. It wasn't because she had pressed incorrectly. Those scars accompanied a memory.

It was the crest of winter like a long time ago on a distant cold afternoon, but she can remember well.

Snowflakes fell. White icing perched on grass blades. The cold, slippery stone steps. Hanabi's voice hollering inside the dark house, _"Hinata nee-sama, your Uchiha suitor's here!"_ with a teasing expression on her face. The young girl always did, taking pleasure in the way it fretted her red sister.

Hinata hadn't expected Sasuke to visit at that time. In fact, Hinata had nothing planned that day except to knit Hanabi's red shawl in her pyjamas, warmly tucked under her bed covers. If it weren't for Hanabi's insistence, her fashion-mindedness and Hyuuga pride that she should make sure her elder sister look absolutely gorgeous—well beyond the Uchiha's comprehension so that his conscience would rave at him for setting his eyes on someone unreachable—Hinata would've opted for a cozy sweater, just enough to look presentable.

She remembered wearing kimono, salmon pink, the color undesignated for the winter season—courtesy of Hanabi.

S _he walked to the backyard with a red parasol held up. He was waiting by the pond._

 _... Snow sprinkled on his raven head. It was cold and he wore a grey haori on top of a blue yukata._

… _"Sasuke-kun," she called, her voice tinged with uncertainty. It was new for someone to wait for her with the sole purpose of waiting and not for a mission._

… _He faced her, obsidian eyes smoldering against the falling snow with a white lily on his hand._

… _"Why are you here?" Her grip tightened on the wooden handle. "Come, let us go inside."_

… _"I..."-his gaze was unmoving, never looking away from her-"...Was watching the fishes."_

… _The servants had long moved the koi fish in a makeshift pool inside an unused garage. Whatever he meant, she didn't comment on it and held her tongue._

… _"I want to take a stroll around for a while," he added, a smoke of icy cold breath lingered as he spoke._

… _She went close to him, wanting to share the shelter of her umbrella. He took the shaft from her grip and she felt his presence seeming to tower over hers._

Maybe it was in the way he could hold the parasol higher, or maybe it was the way her hand had instinctively let go like she had always known the moment he took the latch into his hand. Either ways, he made her walk ahead of him and all she could see was the snow which fell in front of her, leisurely and continuously unlike the nervous conscious feeling, rampaging and stealthy. He didn't talk and the patter of her footwear against the stone steps was a clear, distinct filler for a conversation.

Should she walk fast or slow? Hinata could remember the two battling thoughts which dominated her mind at that time. If she walked fast, she'd be ahead of the parasol's cover and Sasuke will have to reach out further. If she walked slowly, she'd end up hampering his path. The two of them took each stone step faithfully as if there was no other way.

… _"The winter came early this year, didn't it?" Hinata asked. Talks about the weather are basic and convenient._

… _"Un," he answered, then nothing else._

… Clip clop. Clip clop— _went Hinata's geta. What should she talk about next?_

… _"Weren't you cold—" waiting by the pond, she meant to say but in a moment's instant, she slipped on the puddle frozen on the carved stone path._

 _... She was going to fall; one of her geta flew off into the air seeming happy to slip off her right foot. However, Sasuke caught her back, his hand a firm support and as she was leaned into him, the silence answered her question._

 _... His chest was a hot oven and Hinata was just a cold small bun. She could feel his heartbeat, the pounding thunderous vibration seeming to punch through his clothes. While she was wide-eyed in surprised, his composure didn't change, his features unperturbed. A handsome sculpt._

… _"Are you alright?"_

… _"I-I-I'm s-sorry!" she rattled._

... _As she regained balance, her foot without a geta on top of her other foot, she noticed the flower's beautiful white petals turn scarred and crumpled. He held it on his hand that he had pressed firmly on her back during the incident. Her fingers fiddled. She must've been heavy. It was a shame for a Chuunin like her to slip on ice._

… _"Please give me the flower!" she nervously urged._

… _"This one's damaged," he replied._

… _Hinata grabbed the lily from his hands, not caring if their fingers would touch. She was becoming flushed in shades that paralleled her kimono. "I want to have it, so…" In her shame, she wanted to blame everything on Hanabi's sure grin. She shouldn't have listened to her!_

… _"Hold this," Sasuke handed her the umbrella._

… _He went out of the umbrella's shelter, out in the snow to retrieve the geta carelessly lying on the white ground._

… _"The strap had come undone."_

 _He crouched in front of her and she watched his meticulous fingers tie the fabric together. The snow continued to descend on his form resembling incessant waterfalls, and an image of a boulder fixed in between the strong waters, calm, steady and unmoving impressed her mind._

… _He stood up and told her he will take her inside. He wanted to greet her father too._

… _It was over too soon. Just as she had thought about things they could talk about, it all fizzled into the steps they took to the engawa. As Sasuke closed the parasol, he paused to look away._

… _"I will come again tomorrow. I will bring another one." Sasuke was implicitly stating she should just discard the flower._

… _Will he wait for her again, beside the pond, letting the snow to fall on his head?_

… _"Sasuke-kun, tomorrow, you can wait inside. In the guest room._

… _"And I want to keep this flower," she added._

That was the first time she saw pink on his face. She had thought maybe he was just cold but then, she didn't know he actually blushes.

All her expectations about how he'd be like as a husband, how she thought he'd be like a boulder, calm and steady, it was all shattered during their first night together.

She hadn't known him to be so attentive and imposing towards her, impassioned and enamoured even. The white lily from that time turned ugly in the after press. With its shrunk appearance, she knew it wasn't going to turn out good but she stubbornly tried to press it still. She couldn't place it in water because they had to do _it_ and the morning afterwards, were it not for a servant girl telling her, it would've laid forgotten to rot inside the chambers. Her eyes squinted as she smiled, cheeks glowing at the reverie of her husband's eagerness.

She started to feel hot.

First thing in the morning, she will visit Ino's flower shop. The flowers seem to give her good feelings.

Before she slept, peeling off all her garments one by one, she stood in front of his bureau.

It's one of those nights again. Hanabi is not coming in, probably engrossed over some documents in their father's quarters acting as his proxy, so Hinata will gladly indulge.

She grabbed one of his loose shirts to clothe her naked body. Nibbling on her lower lip, Hinata became mentally conflicted, tapping her fingers on the bureau's topmost compartment.

"No one will know," she told herself. As she pulled out the drawer, she stopped, cheeks blushing at the thought of him finding out. It bothered her the first time, every time really. However, she will not deter and he will not find out.

"He won't. Ever," she reassures herself, lilac pearly orbs landing their gaze on some undergarments. _No, not those,_ pertaining to the folded boxers. She favored the white ones.

Lying on their bed, she sighed contentedly on his pillow wrapped securely around her arms.

"So comfortable." It would be nice to dream of him again. She hopes for a continuation. Maybe he would kiss her and more.

* * *

•••

* * *

Just as the majority of the village were tucked cosily inside their beds, the light from the Hokage's office shone bright against the midnight stillness.

After the Fourth Great Shinobi War, midnights in Konohagakure have often been quiet. Though conflicts arise during the day, the setting of the sun reveals a deeper contrived aspect of each citizen. The children didn't play on the streets, wary for unidentified passers-by. Wives would anxiously wait for their husbands to come up from the fields, and for the Shinobi, hoping they survive their missions. The young men became sober, and their songs mollified; ladies didn't color their mouths and those with softened hands turned coarse.

Before Kakashi took office, everyone was of one spirit. Though crestfallen and shaken, they looked up to Naruto's resilience. The pangs of war had sown fear and regret in their hearts—why they didn't love when love was there. The renewed Konoha is a village built from grief, from chagrined hope but the blond future Hokage continued to inspire. Remnants never ceased to remind but the citizens could be strong. Kakashi believes in what is to come for Konoha and to the future of the Shinobi world.

However, one person continually worries him.

As he stamps on each document, he thought about Sasuke—the problem child. It gave him relief when he heard that the lone Uchiha took sudden interest in horticulture, a good side hobby so he would not mope around thinking about murder, betrayal, regret and other matters of glum, and much to his surprise, had long been nursing repressed romantic feelings for Hinata. He felt like he had to give a hand, which he gladly and intrusively did, of course. But then, it's spiralling into the same old pattern again, only this time, he has actually impregnated his wife. It becomes Kakashi's problem too.

For Sasuke's child to be born without its father is the worst-case scenario and he scratches his head because he's feeling a bit of guilt. Every time Hinata asks if Sasuke had written, her sad eyes wring his heart out with pity. He should've sent someone else and neglected the Mizukage's request—it's not like Terumi Mei can't be negotiated. Someone who actually makes it a point to receive the messages and keeps in mind to reply. That way, it becomes certain if their shinobi has chosen to stay loyal to the course of the mission or if said shinobi has decided to be a vagabond. What was he thinking? Sasuke is a liability.

Various sources had told, his former student was draining people of chakra, employing an army of Sharingan users—which is an obvious distorted truth in itself, albeit the popular one. The next thing he knew, a transmission from Suna seven weeks ago reported a person described with features like Sasuke had saved over four hundred prisoners in the desert.

The mission is highly classified but out of all possible information leakages, unfortunately, the public knowledge has always had malicious tenacities and now Hinata's husband has earned himself the notorious criminal label.

He sets the Hokage seal aside and glances at a document filed just this morning.

Divorce papers seeking approval from the Hokage—an enforced divorce under a hidden village chieftain's authority with claims of clamor between the husband and the wife's clan. Frankly, he entertained notions that it's not a bad substitute for firewood.

A Hyuuga elder herself had walked into his office as if a dead incarnate, offering him a huge sum in exchange for his stamp, for his soul. There weren't any valid grounds to justify her claims but she insisted that Sasuke Uchiha's reputation tarnishes the honor and credibility of the Hyuuga, thereby severely diminishing their hold on business and political allies in power outside Konoha.

He massaged his temples recalling the glowering pupil-less eyes of the old woman and his hands sweating in fear or horror. Kakashi wasn't sure how to decipher the things he felt at that time. Too bad she assured him she'd be back for the papers tomorrow.

Outside, the breeze comely swept across the trees and tall grasses. The nightly sounds hummed and Kakashi thought about taking a short break.

He has been working overtime for two days now. The recent Kage Summit in Mizu no Kuni had left work to just pile up in towers above his desk. He massaged his temples again. The stress is getting to him. Much of the conference had been about Sasuke Uchiha and the meteors on the moon slowly closing in, its threatening collision with the earth in an estimate of three to four months away, all of these withheld from the public. The Raikage had proposed blowing off the earth's one and only satellite with his Chakra Cannon.

"Ah, I will miss the moon," Kakashi said to himself as he gazed at the bright orb on the sky through the glass window.

He mused about the earth; how it will soon be all alone with the impending assassination of its moon lover with the Chakra Cannon. 'Within firing range _fwoosh!_ It will be over in an instant _yosh!_ ,' he recalled Killer B say. Such tragedy. He then thinks about the coming summer rain, the river and the canals that need clearing up to ensure no part of Konoha ends up submerge in flood. Kakashi also remembered the funeral he has to attend the day after tomorrow, constructing on his mind some nice things to say about the deceased and to the bereaved. He should get some snack, some dried anchovies perhaps.

"Hokage-sama!"

His shoulders shook startled, broken off from his wistful train of thought. "Yeah, come in."

The hinges croaked and the knob twisted and coiled back.

"Uchiha's hawk summon has intruded the barrier."

His ears perked alert. "What?!" So the problem child finally decided to come back. By himself. "Where's he at?" He took the haori hung on the coat stand.

"The hawk landed at the hospital. He seemed to be in a hurry. The guards are currently intercepting him."

His arms paused as he flung the garment over his shoulders. That is not good. Disappearing for months and his first stop's the hospital? That can't be good. Especially if you're Sasuke who hates the hospital.

He left his office without wasting another thought, notions of snacking on anchovies dispelled as if they were never there.

* * *

What welcomed him by the hospital's entrance were the barrier guards, unconscious, breathing but impossible to wake up. The nurses told him a patient just brought in by the Uchiha is inside. He admonished them to keep everything confidential. Then he saw the man, prancing about forward then back, taking glances inside the emergency room. Sasuke's hair reached below his chin and he was clothed like a desert nomad with a dusty cloak and a wrap around his head.

"Hey, Sasuke," Kakashi motioned with the wave of his hand. "It's been long. You look terrible." He wasn't referring to what Sasuke wore.

The last Uchiha averted his eye and started walking away, not even saying a word. Kakashi blocked his path with an arm, to which Sasuke responded by turning aside.

This is how he sees him after almost six months. A sagging, poor man, too prideful to get proper medical attention but brazen enough to bring someone in. The Hokage delivered successive blows at his former student who desperately tried to hold himself up with sorry blocking attempts, panting rough breaths.

"It's not gonna work, Sasuke. We have a lot to talk about," Kakashi warned. "But first, let's get you patched up."

つづく

* * *

Daifuku Mochiin Corner! 田

Washi - a special paper (which has many different kinds... I'm sorry. I am yet to see one myself.)

Oshibana - flower pressing

In Bosom Carnations Part III, during Hinata's flashback, Hanabi wore a red knitted shawl. Yep, that was what she was making during her winter recollection. Also remember in Part I of the same flower chapter/book? Hinata mentioned pressing the flowers Sasuke gave her. (Looking back to previous chapters will make more sense later on. I don't want to irritate you guys)

In case you're wondering, Sasuke (from Cherry Blossoms, Part I) and Hinata were indeed looking at the sky at the same time. (You know the "we are under the same sky" stuff. DM is a sucker for that.)

The pressed flower album idea was from "Fifty Days" by ohgoditsbriony. I also made references to various SasuHina fics I had come across with flowers in them. Sasuke refers to Hinata as his Sunflower in "Seductive Sound" by SilverKitsune2017-senpai, "Honeysuckle" by Tayyabalaraib-senpai and the "Larkspur" by NewRageInc (which is now on AO3).


	22. XVIII

_"If I say come hither, will you really come? If I say leave, will you leave? I wait forever, yet I cannot be with you..."_ _\- from_ ** _"오나라 "_** _(Onara)_

"Begin," Kakashi muttered.

The room was dark with a single light bulb hanging overhead and all Sasuke could see of his former teacher was the silhouette of his clothes.

After the Hokage sent him for healing, he was led here for interrogation. There wasn't any resistance on Sasuke's part. It occurred to him that perhaps, he did owe Kakashi an explanation. But he didn't expect the mind probe. He relied too much on the fact that the masked man would give him an exception and take his word for truth.

Now, he sat on a steel chair, facing Ibiki's scarred face. This counts as the second time Sasuke met the callous interrogator. Previously, he had nothing to hide except the imaginary Hinata that kept him company on the most horrid days. At least Ibiki kept his mouth shut about that. At present, no matter how willing Sasuke is to go over everything that happened during the past few months he was branded missing, he balked at the mental probe.

"No." His glare was feral and threatening. "Kakashi you know I can do more than say that."

"Sasuke, it'll be over in a snap. Let's just get on with it." The Hokage scratched his gray head. "I even had Ibiki called in. I'm tired, he's tired—"

"Not really. I'm alright," Ibiki started with a gruff voice, stretching his crackling neck.

"—I know you're tired, but we have to do this, okay? To clear your name, for one. Nothing is more reliable than this method. And two, for everyone's peace of mind. You had no qualms when we did mental probe on you after the war. If you have nothing to hide, then let us proceed smoothly."

"I do have something to hide," said Sasuke, his eyes darkening.

"Oh." Kakashi moved closer to the light. "Care to tell me what that is?"

Sasuke weighed in what to say as he shot glances at Kakashi and Ibiki. He wore a grave sullen expression as he mulled over.

"My wife's nakedness is my own nakedness."

The moths made a tapping sound as they bumped into the light bulb, dancing fervently on the ceramic surface. As if on cue, the two middle-aged men laughed heartily with Kakashi kneeling on the ground as he wiped a tear.

"I get it, Sasuke," Ibiki said, chuckling like he'd choked. "I get it. Let me just—" He took a moment to gather himself, distracted by the hysteric Kakashi slapping his back. "Let me just browse on memories starting from when you were in Kiri. Would that be fine _Hokage-sama_?"

"Yeah, yeah." The village head waved a hand and groaned to stop his manic laughter. "Sasuke- _kun_."

Sasuke frowned.

"I'm sorry I didn't think about that. Rest assured Ibiki here won't take the chance to peek and make you jealous."

Ibiki cleared his throat and placed a hand on Sasuke's head. "I shall start now."

Letting people peek into his own mind was a debilitating experience. Right now, Ibiki becomes an all-seeing entity who could, though not entitled to it, run judgements about the things he did in his life.

When the Psycho Mind Transmission was over, Ibiki opened his eyes and clicked his tongue. "This Mangetsu no Kami hit you hard where it really hurts."

* * *

Hanabi practiced her _kata_ , her limbs sharp and focused as the coolness of the breeze swept mildly on her sleeves.

Sleep never came. Just as she thought her consciousness rests, there was a nagging feeling that something wasn't right. She had expected their father to come home two days ago, yet he never notified he'd be away onger.

When Hiashi is home, Hanabi would see him here early morning, bent over his vegetables before breakfast, watering with great care. Now, the tendrils and tender pulps began to curve out and brim with life and majesty, sure of their paths and incessant growth with roots firmly lodged on the ground.

There was security in watching her father's back and now that things are stirring up concerning her sister, she found herself grasping for hold on empty air. She needs to protect Hinata but weakness was slowly creeping in.

"Ha!" she grunted, letting out a hiss of air as she stroke her arm firmly sideways. It was supposed to take her mind off of things; over the fact that her father's escorts are not responding and her brother-in-law's not coming home still—not that they needed the Uchiha anyway.

At times, she'd find Sasuke here bowing an early morning greeting to Hiashi before going about his business out of the compound. She asked her father once and he had a humorous glint to his ever-somber eyes saying Sasuke could be tending to his own garden which Hanabi found impossible.

 _It would've been better if white lily man was here._

She stopped. Since when did Hyuuga Hanabi count on other people to make things right?

A servant's voice brought her out of contemplation: "Hanabi-sama! Hanabi-sama!"

The girl panted as if she'd went on for miles with a paper bag clutched close to her chest.

"Michiru what's the matter? You look like you're dying."

"Hanabi-sama, it's urgent! I went to the hospital to get Hinata-sama's supplements which are expected to come through today and then my friend the nurse, who is my cousin's neighbor from when they were kids who was my classmate in the _Ikebana_ learning center—"

"Michiru, the urgent part please," Hanabi said, jokingly rolling her eyes. She knew the maid takes hours at ceaseless chatting.

"Hiashi-sama is at the hospital!"

Like a terrible storm, the urgent part struck Hanabi unprepared.

Father. Hospital.

It took a while to register on her mind. It was something she feared.

"Don't tell anyone about this."

She ran fast to the house to change out of her sweaty garments. Michiru briefly followed.

"Hanabi-sama, what about Hinata-sama?"

"Me?" Hinata asked, turning up from the kitchen with a mug on her hand, still with a bit of a bed head. "What about me?"

"There she is!" Hanabi plastered a fake smile and slightly tilted her head sideways sending signals to the servant with her eyes. "Michiru got your supplements Hinata nee-sama."

"Hinata-sama, the _yosan_ which were expected to arrive today."

" _Arigatou,_ Michiru-san. You didn't have to go out so early for them."

"It's nothing. I know Hinata-sama has to take it everyday so I went to the hospital where I..." Hanabi severely glared at the servant girl who responded with a sunny smile finally understanding her point. "I should probably start cooking now."

Hanabi skittered to her room, fumbling on the knots of her training gear. She put on a fresh shirt and a pair of trousers, flipping her dishevelled hair out.

"What's the matter, Hanabi-chan?" Hinata went inside her room.

"Er, urgent summons," Hanabi replied, her heart pounding with anxiety as she went out the door. "Bye!"

"Goodbye." Hinata sipped from her mug with a quizzical look.

As the young heiress careened to the front _shoji_ doors, swiftly shifting it to the side, she almost bumped to a chest. It was Toneri.

"Good day," he said.

Time seems slow for the man as bowed with the slow elegance of bamboo bending in the wind.

"Michiru," Hanabi called.

"What is it, Hanabi-sama?"

"He's here again. Watch over what he's doing. Don't let him cook what you don't know."

The maid blushrd as she turned her attention on Toneri. "If you'll follow me, Toneri-sama."

He _is_ gaining secret fan girls within the compound.

 _For someone without the windows to his soul, he sure is popular_ , Hanbi thought wryly.

"Go away now."

Toneri just stood still, blocking the entrance when she's clearly in a hurry. She nudged him on the shoulder going out.

"Wait," he called. Hanabi's heels turned to pause.

"What?" She rolled her eyes, letting out a puff of air.

"Your hair."

His slender fingers reached out to Hanabi's hair and tugged at the white ribbon tie.

"Wha-what are you doing?!" This has never happened in the heiress' young life. "S-stop it! Ouch!"

Soon, his pale hands began their work making the unkempt strands into a neat, straight ebony sheet. She itched to see her father's condition but a certain feeling at the pit of her stomach numbed her anxiety. Heat bit on her cheeks.

"You usually tie it perfectly but now it is in disarray." Gathering her hair, Toneri started to coil the white ribbon, his fingers working in a precise methodical manner, bringing it over, then under, keeping it tight, tugging at the ribbon's end. "It must be fixed."

"Do it faster!" She began stomping her feet. "Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!"

* * *

As they sat at the table for breakfast, Michiru lavished the blind stranger with praises about his cooking and precision in the , on the other hand, merely gave him her thanks. Toneri seemed to accept everything from her with good cheer making it a complex situation because she told him everything already.

How many times must she hurt him before he turns away?

"What are you doing?" she asked, evading when she felt him reach for her.

"Your hair. It is different from your sister."

"That is true." She clipped the tips of her _hashi_ —two of the same shape, of the same craft, but never the same kind of thing. Siblings end up being different albeit coming from the same womb. But it is that difference which made siblinghood worthwhile. Each is a complement to the other's lack. "She has father's black hair while I have our late mother's dark indigo shade. I suppose it can be said that the length of Hanabi's hair, its beauty and luster, is a testament of her personal strength."

"Yours is very beautiful too."

Accepting his compliment was a dilemma. Not only would it lead the man to construe meaning differently from what she purports it to be, but also because she knew she wanted Sasuke instead of Toneri saying those words to her, sitting beside her as they ate together. It's as if she's disregarding his value as a human being but she needed to.

"Thank you."

She needed to go out.

* * *

"Hinata! It's been so long !" greeted Ino who sat behind her flower shop's counter, cutting ribbons and floral wrappers.

"Indeed, Ino-san." Hinata bowed, pushing the blue pastel door further and the bell attached to it made more pleasant tinkling sounds.

"Whoa! It's big and fluffy!" The blond woman laughed, touching Hinata's belly. "Sakura gets creeped out whenever I want to touch her. She's so stingy. Is it a boy or a girl?"

"A boy."

"Soon you'll have a cute baby to dress up. I can only imagine the tiny feet, smaller than a palm." A tinge of longing graced Ino's smile as she pulled Hinata to sit on the green couch. "When are you giving birth? I really, badly _need_ to see your baby."

"The doctor said I'm due around August."

"Aw, that's great! Sakura's next month. We'll get to see her baby first then. How nice."

Hinata softly tittered. " _Hai._ Ino-san, you really want a baby, don't you?"

The flower shop owner nodded eagerly. "But Sai… I couldn't tell him. Since last year, he's night shift at the south barrier so we haven't really tried having one yet." A stark pink blush adorned her cheeks.

Hinata was blushing herself, awed at the conversation she found herself in. "I'm sure it will come." It used to be other women's talk having nothing to do with her.

"Well, we're still young. Plus it's good in a way. I have more time to spare. I get to work on the formal proposal for the children's mental health clinic Sakura and I planned together. You should join us."

"A mental health clinic?" She thought about Genta and Ken. Though they claimed victory but the war took its toil on innocent minds. Those children are doing better now but she knew they're still terrified of strangers. "I'd be glad too. Let me know what I can do."

"Thanks! By the way, what can I do for you?"

"I wanted to buy white lilies."

"Sure! But it's free, okay? Take it as my congratulatory gift for your pregnancy."

"Oh, I… Thank you, Ino-san. Sasuke-kun used to buy those, didn't he?"

Ino blinked, her colorless lashes fluttering like the wings of the butterfly on a snapdragon arrangement behind her. "No. He doesn't buy flowers from my shop." She stood and busied herself infront of her white lily display.

"Eh? But he gave me white lilies a lot of times." Where else would Sasuke buy flowers? The Yamanaka Flower Shop is one of its kind in all of Konohagakure.

"Here." Ino gave her a splendid bunch of white lilies wrapped with pink floral paper and scooted beside her. "So Sasuke actually succeeded. I guess he really can do anything, huh?"

"What do you mean?"

"You didn't know? He was working on flowers, wasn't he?"

Hinata tensely shook her head. She recalled asking him once as a joke if he had been gardening. Did he lie to her? Why would he keep such a pleasant thing a secret?

"One day he just came here and asked me questions and borrowed my father's books on horticulture. I was confused because Sasuke and flowers just don't go together, but it made me happy that someone's making use of 'tousan's stuff and it was him of all people... I mean it was like a long time ago, but I _had_ a slight crush on him."

The sound of the bell pealed as the door opened and Sai entered the shop.

"Anata..."

"Did you miss me?" He kissed Ino on the cheek.

"You know I always do. Hinata and I were just talking about Sasuke."

"Did you tell her you used to like her husband?" asked Sai, eyeing Hinata.

Ino tapped his arm, glaring daggers.

"Though it's alright now because _bijin-san_ only likes me," he said, displaying one of his practiced smiles.

"Yes, I can see that." Hinata smiled, feeling warmed at the sight.

"By the way," said Sai. "Sasuke is here."

Hinata couldn't immediately speak, her heart suddenly drumming loud and fast. "W-where is he?" The question left the Byakugan wielder's lips too soon, finding it strange that her husband hadn't come home to her.

"I believe he's with Kakashi now."

"Thank you so much, Sai-kun!"

The bell tinkled erratically at the door's thud.

* * *

Naruto and Sakura had come earlier in Kakashi's office with mixed emotions welling up their faces. They now know everything after Ibiki's full report on the mental probe and Sasuke was unable to hold anything out for himself.

"Sasuke-kun, do you really think you should face this alone?"

Sakura stood behind him, the click of her footsteps becoming irritating.

Running a lazy palm on his face, Sasuke stated blankly: "I don't need a luggage like Naruto. Besides there's no telling how the enemy might react. I don't see the benefit of having anyone tag along."

"Kakashi-sensei, this is an international concern, isn't it?" Sakura asked.

Sasuke almost turned just to glare at Sakura's absurdity. He couldn't care less about bureaucracy and all its nonsense; that can't save people.

"Yes, it is," answered Kakashi, calmly stamping documents. "As a matter of fact, part of the last Kage Summit were discussions on how to counterattack the moment the moon enters the earth's atmosphere. Killer B and his team are preparing for the worst-case scenario. For the meantime, each Kage will device methods to protect their domain. We are fortunate that the meteors haven't struck Konoha."

"You think?" Sasuke smirked, gathering his cloak "Now that I'm here, maybe the meteors will." He pulled away from his seat, binding the dust-stained wrap around his head.

"What about Hinata? You won't let her know?" asked Naruto.

His fists clenched. "I can't see her." His voice turned to a timid contrast from the imperious tone he used aginst them. "Inform her of Hiashi-san. They must be worried. But don't mention me." He missed her so bad but as long there's great peril, seeing her now is undeserved reward.

"I doubt if you'd truly want that," Kakashi said. "You don't know do you?"

"What?"

He looked at the three of them and they all held the same knowing, sympathetic eyes.

"Of course, you don't know. You never tried to accept our messages. Also, take a look at this." Kakashi handed him a document. "A love letter from your grandmother-in-law."

Sasuke's dark orbs lingered on the writings in black ink, especially on the word divorce. He had expected this much. He shouldn't be so shaken. They wanted her to be free of him and taking things in a rational perspective, Hinata's better off led away from the doom that is his fate.

"What is it, Sasuke?" Astonishment laced Kakashi's incredulous tone. "Don't tell me you're considering."

The door opened revealing an unexpected visitor.

"Sasuke-kun."

The sound of her gentle voice invaded the room, harrowing the beat of his own heart and the paper he held felt heavy, slipping off his cold, calloused fingers. There she was, the splendor of spring and immaculate winter come alive. Hinata's Byakugan deactivated, absentmindedly bowing to the Hokage.

Sasuke couldn't make it out of his wits to move. He cursed nosy, damnable Naruto and Sakura seeing the bouquet of white lilies in her hand thinking they must've told her everything, for taking out the last shred of dignity a man could possibly have. But then something else caught his attention.

She's pregnant.

Thoughts flooded his mind of emotions, excuses, explanations but not one made his immobile tongue procrastinate.

"It must have been hard," she said, her fingers touching his cheeks in that gentle, familiar way.

He lost it then. He could've told her it wasn't; that the physical hurt and the pain seeing mangled children were nothing; that he had always prodded through composed, bringing justice to humanity no matter what crooked path it curved into.

He averted her gaze, tears slipping off his eyes bruised with fatigue but could never push her away. She wrapped her arms around his neck and her lavenders filled him again.

"You don't have to tell me now," she whispered.

Those innocent eyes sometimes seemed like they know too much but it's merely the illusion to the clarity. And he'd rather she stayed in her world. His hands ached on her bones, so frail and yet he was leaning into her. There was nowhere safer than being kept by her like this. She inched closer, inviting him to kiss his pain to her. Slowly, his mouth descended onto hers, pressing on the little corners to the quivering plumpness of her lips.

At the heat of her tongue mingled the salt of his tears, speaking back to him in deep sad caresses, her hands reorienting themselves with him.

He broke the kiss and pressed his forehead lightly on the swell of his wife's belly.

A pulse of movement.

An impossibly tiny foot?

Perhaps a knee or an elbow.

A solar flare melting his chest.

"He knows it's you." She cupped his face, smiling like the true bright sun and he kissed her again, sinking deeper.

"Hokage-sama!" A knock came urgently.

Just as Kakashi opened the door, a man began to speak, "Enemies are breaking in the barrier! They're after the Uchiha!" followed by a loud thump as the wood slammed against the frame.

He almost forgot who he was. She has that power over him. But fate keeps reminding him: things like these are undeserved. The child in her belly, her loving eyes, staying by her side.

"I'm sorry."

Before she could utter a word, he vanished from her embrace, his distant steps mere echoes in the hallway like the tick of a fast clock.

"Sasuke! Hey, Sasuke!" Naruto grabbed him firmly by the shoulder. "Let's fight together. Don't go there alone."

"No. Stay here. Protect Konoha. I don't know when I'll face the Mangetsu no Kami, and there will be more but I just have to make sure." He tugged at Naruto's jacket collar. "I just need to be sure that none of those after me can ever hurt my Hinata and our child."

"You can count on me," Naruto replied, his eyes determined and steadfast. "I will protect Hinata."

Just as his grip on Naruto's collar loosened, he voiced out a simmering thought. "It was naïve of me to think I could easily be with her. Nothing really came easily for us, did it, Naruto?"

"Sasuke," Hinata called and she had the saddest lovely eyes, unbearably so that he had to turn his face away.

If she is the white lily, he is the mire, latching on her stem with filth. The mire must recede that the beautiful flower be lifted up.

As he took off, Garuda's wings flying higher and higher, he heard Naruto shouting:

" _TEME!_ THAT WAS TRUE! BUT WE SHOULD NEVER EVER LOSE! GOT THAT?!"

That is easy to say. There are different kinds of battles. Against others, he can't possibly lose. But against himself that says how long must Hinata stay patient, he doesn't know.

* * *

The two pregnant women sat on the bench at the playground, watching the small children on the swings.

"I never thought I'd see Sasuke like that. It was beautiful—the kiss," Sakura began while they waited for Naruto to come with the cold treats, trying to build a lighearted atmosphere. "Naruto and I probably look awkward, because we're kinda... messy, you know. But you and Sasuke, it was like a movie scene."

Hinata's softly chortled, wiping her nose carefully. The tip turned even pinker.

"There's a sense of fulfillment on my part..." Sakura's lips curved into a wistful smile. She glanced at the bouquet of lilies set on Hinata's lap.

It had pained her watching Sasuke tend alone to his stunted white lilies with more patience than he had in years.

The Sasuke back then was a shattered fragment of his former self, without revenge, feeling sorry for what he made them go through and ultimately, for himself.

"Sakura-san, I feel the same way about you and Naruto," Hinata said softly. It was the first time since everything happened that they talked about it. "We both know who I had in mind back then. But right now, I want to protect Sasuke and it breaks my heart that I cannot do anything for him."

"Don't think that." Sakura gave Hinata a hug. "All he wants is for you to be safe."

"Later, let's have dinner at my father's house..." Hinata begged with puffed up eyes, badly needing more company.

* * *

"He was dehydrated and injured from a blast type attack," informed the nurse. "We'll run more tests when your father wakes up."

Drawing close, she watched the rising and falling of her father's chest and the fresh scratches and burns on his bandaged face. She will not cry. Never.

"Who brought my father here?"

"Actually, under the Hokage's orders, we cannot disclose such confidential information," said the nurse.

"The Hokage?" Her mind struggled to decide whether she should pry further or just let it pass and be grateful that her father barely made it safely back. "Were there no others of the Hyuuga brought in?"

The nurse shook her head. "He was brought here alone."

The Hyuuga has enemies but was it merely coincidence that her father was attacked while their grandmother introduced a new son-in-law candidate to marry Hinata, the former heiress?

Would Hyuuga Hisoka hurt her own son just to strengthen her influence over the clan?

Did her grandmother turn into a total she-devil?

Upon arriving home at dusk, she dragged her feet to the dining room when she rubbed shoulders with Michiru. Eerily, the cheery girl of a chatterbox was suddenly poised and quiet and so out of it. When she bowed to Hanabi, her eyes had a dismissive look, empty even.

"Hey Michiru, are you alright?"

"I always am, Hanabi-sama. If you'll excuse me." The servant girl's lips pursed for a minute smile unlike how she usually does showing off her dimples. She continued to walk on the corridor with back rigid straight.

 _Is it just me or did that feel weird?_

Everything's beginning to stress her out.

 _Can I just not bother?_

Hanabi found Toneri bent over like an old man in a frilly apron chopping vegetables on the kitchen counter.

"Toneri- _jiji_." Very fitting. Hanabi plopped on the chair and laid her head on the table. "I'm tired. Give me something to eat."

"Good evening, heiress. What would you like to have? Also, if I may, even in my clan, 254 cycles is still quite young."

"You're weird," she replied, groggily. "I want something sweet… 254, 254," she continued to mumble, "Ah, 254 lunar cycles is a possibility, unless you're some _oni_. If that is so, you're just a bit older than onee-sama. Aren't you glad?"

He placed a plate of sliced apples in front of her.

"They're not rabbits." She frowned. "Onee-sama always makes rabbits."

"I do not understand the meaning of your words. How does the Byakugan Princess create rabbits? What are these rabbits you speak of?"

"Pfft!" She cackled. The Hyuuga never cackle. "You're an alien. That's what you are."

A certain gravity hung in the air with his brows furrowed slightly.

"Are you mad?"

He did look a bit mad.

 _Small victories!_

"That's good. But before you're really angry, aaahh—" Hanabi opened her mouth. "Feed me. Hurry."

Toneri stiffened but slowly handed her a slice, swallowing thickly as he did. As she bit on the fruit, her lip grazed his thumb and his hand wobbled.

"You're weird."

But it felt good having someone listen to her for once. Family who were supposed to be trusted did nothing but betray her these days and made life harder for Hinata.

When her sister came, gesturing to Sakura and the man who broke her heart not so many years ago to the table, Hanabi wondered if said lady is destined to cry over men. It's not like she'll ever fall in love but the notion of weeping over the male specie just added to the abomination that is submitting to one who hogs half the bed space your whole life.

And look at that old man. All smiles when obviously, Hinata doesn't like him. The apples inside Hanabi's mouth tasted sour as it was almost painful to watch.

"Ino-san told me Sasuke-kun planted flowers. I didn't even know the flowers he gave me were grown by his own hands," Hinata said as she filled a vase over the sink.

Hanabi's ears perked.

Except for the bubbling soup, a heavy silence swept across the room.

So white lily man as a garden guy wasn't a joke.

"I want to tell her, Naruto," said Sakura.

Hinata whirled, confusion in her face.

Naruto looked pensive until a grin showed on his face. Dropping his shoulders in resignation, he said: "He'll be mad but I think it will make Hinata happy."

"What is it?" Hinata asked.

"Sixty-seven thousand, four hundred seventy-two white lilies, Hinata," Sakura said. "That's what Sasuke-kun was working on, just for you. Remember what you told me after everyone was freed from the Infinite Tsukuyomi? You said 'wouldn't it be nice if a flower grows for every fallen comrade?' Because your cousin Neji was then..." Sakura paused, trying to mince her words. "You said everyone who had hate was finally at rest so they show their true selves in a flower... Sasuke heard you that time. That's why, he wanted to show you sixty-seven thousand, four hundred seventy-two white lilies for every fallen comrade."

Hinata cried and Hanabi just sat still, mulling over how she was right about Hinata's destiny over men she's creepily into. But at least they're happy tears now.

"Just when I thought I couldn't love him more than I already do." Hinata gracefully wiped her tears, not one to pass up being a true Hyuuga lady. "Where are they? Please show me."

They startled at the sudden rattling sound. Toneri's puppet had accidentally dropped a plate on the floor.

"I'm sorry," Toneri said. "I miscalculated."

Hanabi felt sorry for him too. But he needed to hear that.

つづく

* * *

Daifuku Mochiin Corner! 田

I would like to thank those who left their precious reviews. I'm sorry I couldn't update early. It was so hard to be DM last week and this week too, that's why please point out any errors if you see them. If you know anyone who can teach me Clone Jutsu, please refer that person to me.

I also want to live in the moon where days a longer. In moon days, Toneri is like 254 days old.

We are nearing the climax of FLGW and I need more time. I'll be updating on a weekend of the fourth week of October. Ugh. *plops on the floor*

Vocabulary:

Yosan - Folic acid

Teme - not something you want to call your friends

* * *

Canon(?) detail:

Ino and Sakura's children mental health clinic. It was mentioned in _Sakura Hiden: Thoughts of Love, Riding Upon A Spring Breeze_.

SaIno was not yet married at this time in canon. It just so happened that I paired off almost everyone in this story. I haven't realized that before.

Non-canon detail:

Sai being a guard/overseer. I just needed him to be there.

* * *

The lyrics quoted before the chapter started is from "Onara" written by Im Se-hyeon. It is the ending theme to Dae Jang Geum (Jewel in the Palace). The translation is from "Song Sohee - Onara and I Can't Say Goodbye" on Youtube. Check it out if you want:) I sustained various parts of this chapter with imagery conjured from the melody and the singer's interpretation in particular.

Also, I would like to make the following corrections:

Hinata is currently 19. She and Sasuke married when she was 18. (I miscalculated *sighs*)

Hanabi is currently 15 since her birthday is on 27th of March (according to an unverified source). I mistook her for a 16-year-old during the previous year's timeline. They have a 5-year gap and Hinata's a December baby.


	23. XIX

**_Edited:_** _0_ _4_ - _25_ _-1_ _8_

DISCLAIMER: Shameless as I am, some dialogues are stolen from Naruto manga chapters 678-694.

Sasuke never thought of himself as someone who derived humor out of his misfortunes but funny how it is, when he could've just stayed there in Hinata's arms and nothing would've mattered.

Not a wee speck of dust in the universe.

Meeting her again was almost euphoric, nothing compared to the dread that followed after.

What is the fitful buzzing of mosquitoes as they hover above his ear? Do they whisper I love you? Not to mention, he'll be sitting up again for the whole duration of the evening, waiting for the enemies to attack with his limbs restricted and disposed to kill when he has an actual bed, a soft mattress with clean sheets, and his dear wife with her sweet fragrance. He didn't care for others. Never had the heart. Yet, he is here cursing solitude and the cold stench of a dead animal nearby infiltrated his nostrils.

Funny how it is that even with all the power man can acquire, he must stay away from her—how power doesn't help you keep the one you love.

* * *

" _SHIN: JUKAI KOUTAN!"_ _exclaimed Madara._

 _... At the light cast by the red moon resembling the Rinne Sharingan to the earth, the roots of the God Tree crawled and curled around still bodies, enwrapping each one in a guile of dreams. With his Rinnegan, Sasuke saw how it sucked life out of it's cocooned prey._

… _All the world has been_ _entrapped._

 _... Even a certain Hyuuga Hinata._

 _... When Naruto tried to get out Sasuke grabbed at his wrist with a furious rush._

 _... "Don't go there Naruto!" he growled with all his might. If Naruto gets caught up, what hope is there for everyone?_

… " _What's going outside now, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked, her shrill in a trembling._

… " _There's nothing you can do,"_ _he spat irritably as his eyes observed the activity outside the Susanoo._

… " _Sasuke, that's not the issue," said Kakashi._ " _Naruto and I want to know that too. Sakura also wants to think about a possible way to—"_

… " _Kakashi, you're the same as Sakura now. Shut up." There was a lot at stake—and though he would never express nor admit it to himself—with Hyuuga Hinata making up the most of his concern at the moment._

… _T_ _he fight progressed, the crisis unraveled._

... _Madara turned out to be just a pawn, his heart crushed by the Black Zetsu. Hidden behind Madara's years of planned evil was an artifice used to serve the greater wiles of an_ _adversary empowered and unscrupulous._

… _Ootsutsuki_ _Kaguya._

 _... She had eyes of Hyuuga Hinata's color but_ _how vastly different_.

… _Never in Sasuke's life was the outcome of a battle so perilous, almost indiscernable._

 _... So otherworldly was Kaguya's prowess: bend the space and shifting dimensions, sabotaging with the sense of stable reality._ _But w_ _ith the rendering of their lives, of their all, Team 7 had Kaguya sealed once again._

… _With peace seeming within reach, t_ _he Sage of Six Paths, Hagoromo, stood at the center and around him were the resurrected past Hokages and the tailed beasts._

... _Etched in the reanimated Hokages' faces was remembrance that no dreams of everlasting peace had worked, no ideals like Hagoromo, no vision like Hashirama or Madara who at his hopes of eternity, was a wayward purpose for a greater power to ensue more devious than he was. The cracks on their complexion reminded_ _Sasuke of Itachi in the crumbling state of a broken pottery; how he told him for the last time that even if Sasuke won't forgive, he will always love_ _him_

 _... Yet, Konohagakure avoided civil war because Itachi made himself hated._ _He_ _loved and longed for peace, more than self, more than family._

… _If there was one thing that Sasuke learned from that gathering, it was that peace was an elusive dream; a mirage of comfort like who Hyuuga Hinata is to_ him.

… _But bec_ _ause he doesn't dream the beautiful dreams they speak of, how they lived their lives to pursue peace, Sasuke figured his way alone will make a difference._ _And because he will never be caught up in dreams, he will not falter. Like Itachi, more than self, more than family._ _But unlike his brother, he will do it for hate._

 _... He will become hate; its face, its deepest, cruelest form, burning itself out in him._

 _... That is how peace is created. It was never a beautiful dream. Peace feeds on the blood of others._

… " _Naruto and Sasuke, have your answers changed after the fight with mother Kaguya?" asked Hagoromo._

 _... "Nope, mine's the same," answered Naruto firmly and without apprehension._

… _It_ _irked_ _Sasuke how Naruto was_ _still sure as ever, as if everything demonstrated so far has not been a sure evidence. After all these, the cycle of hate will continue and the camaraderie the Allied Shinobi Forces boasts will turn into a shamble of lies._

 _... Not everyone will use their power to protect._

 _... People will seek to destroy._

… " _All that's left now is to undo the Infinite Tsukuyomi Jutsu," continued the Sage of Six Paths. The Rinnegan and the chakra of the tailed beasts was all that was needed. "Now, what about you Sasuke?"_

… " _Let the Infinite Tsukuyomi be undone,"_ _he replied._ _Before he ultimately submits himself to an eternity of hate and damnation, he will free Hyuuga Hinata._ _She's a disturbance._

… _And so, the seal was performed, the jutsu undone._

… " _Go tend to the injured," Kakashi urged Sakura who was hesitant at first as Kakashi couldn't stand by himself. But she nodded and went ahead._

… _As the tension eased, the sick desire to ruin Naruto's happy moment finally getting to say goodbye to his reanimated father sprang up._

... " _It's not yet over," declared Sasuke. "The fate of the world will ultimately be determined by_ _me!"_

… " _Sasuke, what do you—?!"_ _The consternation in Naruto's face filled him with great satisfaction._

... _"I will destroy and rebuild. Rebuild a new world for us! One that cannot be tainted by darkness._ "

... _Sasuke created clones of himself, each with a Rinnegan eye._

 _... "What I'm pushing for... is a REVOLUTION!"_

 _... His clones dashed to where the Five Kages were—they who must perish to ensure his revolution. And to where Hinata was. Taking a secret look after a long time, on the far side, out of reach, never nearing._

… _If anything, he owed a lot to her._

 _... He had been using Hyuuga Hinata—her image—to patch up moments of weakness, but she will come to hate him too._

… " _Sakura-san," he heard her say, "Wouldn't it be nice if a flower grows for every fallen comrade? This is Neji-niisan's... He is at peace, as everyone who had hate is now at rest... Wouldn't it be nice if a flower blooms for everyone?_

 _... "Because now, they can truly show their real selves."_

… _Then she dug pale hands into the mud, carefully reaching deep as she unearthed the flower with its roots._

… _She was a glorious sight, so glorious that it gripped his heart not in the way adrenaline caused by war does but with tears that grieve not just for her own_ , _painful and alluring altogether as her battered hands that seemed to tend to the broken like his heart, like his mind, like his imaginings._

… _As she turned back, the howling wind told him he should do it because he can._

 _... "We couldn't be more different, Hyuuga."_

 _... Because he deserved it inside out without yearning for her comfort or love, his guts to be seared by mankind's hate._

... " _I freed you. I have no more debt. Yet you_ _still disturb me."_

… _His clones faced the Five Kage who were still recovering from the effects of the Infinite Tsukuyomi._ _With the Rinnegan he controlled them all, immobilized their wills, the Five Kage and tailed beasts. They must be destroyed for the revolution to cede over the world._

… " _Chibaku Tensei!" Sasuke proclaimed, fastening his hands with a clap._

 _... The earth shook and trembled, pieces clambering and clustering to their designated cores, the tailed beasts confined and raised to the sky._

... _"I've learned how to control the Rinnegan a lot better after this battle. And now, most obstacles are gone. Except for you Naruto."_

 _... At the Valley of the End, Sasuke molded paths to victory in his mind: an apt interplay of various attacks to bring the jinchuriki down while recalling how this one irrepressible obstacle had intentionally crossed his path, foolishly accepted mortal blows and above all, the strength of purpose with which Naruto relentlessly pursued him. But it will all end, he was certain. He visualized how Naruto will meet his end._

 _... However, as the battle prolonged, that vision started to slowly fade._

 _... As the sun went down, tinting senescent orange hues on still and moving surfaces, their clash continued with bodies worn out but never surrendering. The cooling water splashed and drenched their open wounds and bruises. Naruto's punches were getting weaker they might as well have come from a puny child. Sasuke's foot dragging his weight shifted under the water and a ridge on the riverbed made him stumble as he was landing a fist on Naruto's jaw. The fall shook his vision but he stood back up, refusing to be the one going down. Everything was going slow. He flung his knuckle in a dragged motion towards the beat-up, mussed stack of hay on a head._

… _He could hear Itachi._

… "No matter what you do from now on, know that I will always love you."

… _He could hear her._

… "Wouldn't it be nice if a flower grows for every fallen comrade?"

… _But he will not waver._

… "Because now, they can truly show their real selves."

… _Hyuuga Hinata was still ever so naïve. Humans are rotten to the core. W_ _hat true selves, Sasuke thought. How come she's so caring, so beautiful, and..._

… _"Fuck,"_ _he muttered breathlessly._

... _Naruto's punch had hurt._ _But after_ _having absorbed some chakra from when his knuckles landed on the jinchuriki's skin, Sasuke used the power gathered therein to hit his strong-willed opponent hard on the gut._

… _He would've smirked were it not for the throbbing swell of his busted lip._ " _This is one of the abilities of the Rinnegan. As someone who possesses the eyes of the Uchiha, my victory is inevitable... Now I can finally be alone."_

… _The beginnings of Chidori gathered in his palm. Naruto will die. Along with his hopes. And he will finally be able to move forward, alone, bringing nothing, having nothing but the people's hate._

… _"Farewell my one and only friend."_

… _Before he knew it, a hard blow on his chin had sent him flying to a_ _crag_ _. The hardened land mass shrieked as he got buried deep into, debris falling inside his clothes piercing his flesh. Dust dispersed and billowed through the hollow created by the force of his impact._

 _... Her gentle weary voice_ _whispered:_

"Wouldn't it be nice if a flower grows…"

… _Awakening what wasn't supposed to be there. It's Naruto's fault—he must die. He can't stand it… the growing thing._

… " _Over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and OVER AGAIN!"_

… _He couldn't accept it—the growing revolution so against what he had in mind, but it was there. Like a mockery, light and soft. Like Naruto and his blabbering mouth. Like her scooping up that flower._

… " _GIVE UP AND LET ME CUT YOU DOWN!"_

… _He hated to admit it but he also couldn't cut her down. Not when she gave him tomatoes, not when she was sullied from the war and her cheeks were wet with_ _tears; that unlike with Naruto, it was him who bound himself to her and there was nothing to cut. Only a clear loose end._

… " _Can't do that," answered Naruto, "'Coz I'm your only friend."_

… _Naruto was at it again, amplifying the whispers—unwelcomed notions. He denies them. He will definitely find comfort in the hatred, in the vile glances of people as they curse his name. He will have dominion over all the lands. There is no other way._

 _... She will hate him too._

… _Sasuke took a deep breath and as his lung casted the air out, lightning power crackled in his hand, bursting to its fullness. Naruto shot up the air with Rasengan. Sasuke launched straight at him with the steeled resolve to end it all._

… _And in the breadth of a moment, he saw_ _Hinata smile at_ _him_ _eye to eye._ _A command, a vision so rare, earth-shattering, tumultuous as the force that wrecked his chest. It was then he realized he had jumped to his demise. His Chidori had fizzled to smoke before he could hit Naruto._

… " _SASUKEEEE!"_

… _The golden sky stabbed his eyes, his body thrown and splayed recklessly into the air. He crashed against something and his bones crackled, ungraceful claps turning to cracks._

 _... As breath ran out, the willow tree looked down at him, it's tendrils swaying as if to wave farewell. His tongue tasted iron and rust. And there she was again looking back at him among the whites. He reached out to her, into the sky. It was fazing out._

… " _Sasuke! Sasuke!"_

… _Naruto's panicked scream went clamoring inside his ears._

… " _Teme!" Naruto sobbed. "Why did you do that?! Dammit! Sasuke!"_

… _The blond gripped his shoulders but he could barely feel anything. Just very cold with the taste of iron in his mouth._

… " _Dammit! Look at me!"_

… _He couldn't. Everything was blurry._

… " _You must hold on!"_

… _It was ambitious. The shameful kind of ambitious._ _He's a Shinobi. He knew that. But as his perception waned, he asked what is a Shinobi again._

… _If he'd gets to live, will he really find it in himself to do it?_

… _His hands that wield the sword to till the land for gentle flowers instead._

* * *

Which gullible souls did the Mangetsu no Kami send?

Rushing movements coming from afar—the futility of their misplaced efforts.

And they'd be overjoyed thinking they caught their victim but it will be otherwise.

When Sasuke thought about how he had to part from her, how on the inside he was akin to a thrashing infant forcefully detached from suckling at its mother's breast, his sadness turns to wrath. He longed to kiss her more and embrace her more, burn the mass of cold solitude within...

... _"All your loved ones died because you're near them... "_

Sasuke snickered at his tremulous fingers.

For the longest time he didn't fear. Nothing was more fearful than his brother's sword smeared with their parent's blood. But now it ghosts over his shoulder, over his head... inside him, making his blood run cold...

Because she loves him and he knows of it and he...

He knows he doesn't deserve it.

"Found you, Uchiha," jeered a rogue. Bloodlust ran thick in the air, in the glint of their hostile, manic eyes. "Hey, that jackass prick of a kami's scared us o'er nothin'. Extra caution? We needed no _extra caution_. Turns out you're just a pussy running away."

Sasuke opened his eyes, two reds blazing in the dark night.

"Seemed like lady luck's gone with us. I'll be taking those eyes," said another who was clearly biting off more than he can chew.

"So it seems," Sasuke replied as he stood and unsheathed his _chokuto_ , the sound of blade heightening his senses. Two in front, about thirty surrounding. There are more coming.

"Congratulations..."

Before they could even blink, the slash of sword forcefully ripping through flesh was heard.

"None of you is the one I'm after." That is if they're indeed lucky and beasts don't prey after them.

This time, it will take more than planting flowers to love her. Not his weakness but his absolute strength; for what is the world without her? And the discretion to keep this painful distance, just how it once was when he was but a young lad with clammy hands, stealing glances at the Hyuuga girl who sat on the desk next to them, who in turn would look his way but not at him.

* * *

•••

* * *

 _Two hundred and fifty four…_

 _Two hundred and fifty five…_

 _Two hundred and fifty six…_

 _Two hundred and fifty seven…_

Just two hundred fifty seven steps away yet she never knew.

The three of them stood in front of the Uchiha compound gate. Bamboo thickets sprung upward, a hedge to conceal what was within.

Hinata pressed her hands together in a solemn prayer and bowed before the gate—a long deep bow—homage to her husband's kin. _Freed._ She remembered him say. And her son's blood.

As she raised her head, she faced the Uchiha symbol limned on the wood with chipped paint.

"There's a barrier," Hinata muttered. What lies beyond these gates, beneath the barrier is the blight to his heart, haunting memories of bloodshed from the past.

"Sasuke made one to 'protect the flowers from harsh elements'—he's damn crazy about it," Naruto said. "Last winter, snow swamped all of Konoha except here. He also mulched last fall so the bulbs won't get cold."

"Naruto-kun, you seem to know a lot."

"Yeah..." he began, and perhaps feeling the need to elaborate himself, he jauntily continued: "I'm like Sasuke's volunteer gardening assistant or something. I water when the ground's dry, do the weeding when he's not… present. Trivial stuff."

The metal handles were porous beneath her fingers and she pushed it slightly and the hinges creaked. A fragrance pure but sharp and satiny altogether wafted through.

Save for the bamboo thickets and a lone shed which stood in the middle of the field, budding white flowers trailed in neat arrays of tender beauty just beginning to fully bloom, blanketing the ground way beyond her unaltered eyes could see.

Hinata could only imagine how the flowers would speckle and condense like clouds in the sky lost to the earth below come full bloom. As the leaves rustled, tipping edges, the whole field swarmed with reckless, muted chatters; chaos but in still, fawning lilts.

The trio began to walk along the clearing to reach the middle of the field.

Any passers-by would see a field of beautiful flowers. But she is his wife. There's more to the flowers blooming atop the soil where his nightmares sprouted and constantly connived to disturb his sleep. A lot of things made who Sasuke is, but what had transpired here, on this ground, defined the path he took before he reached her hands—the loving and kind man that he is to her. She imagined him, his back hunched like when he worked on her father's garden; his tired but lovely hands muddy. Then he'd come to her, all clean and well-dressed, spoiling her with his caresses.

She longed for his touch but remained ignorant of the man beneath the layers. He once told her there was nothing he didn't like about her. Now she found how unfair he had been. He's never revealed everything about who he is when there is so much about him that she could love. More than the breathtaking view, vast and numerous possibilities.

The rich smell of fertile soil soaked the air as Hinata's bulrush-padded _zouri_ brushed past, her heels digging deep. "Please tell me about the things he did here."

"Well, I saw him start." The pink of Sakura's hair was a bold splash of color against the field dotted white. "I don't think he gave it much thought. He just got right to it and started digging there." Sakura pointed at a spot near the shed. "His childhood home used to be there. At that time, he's not supposed to be out of hospital-chest bandages and all-but stubborn as he was, I had to do the babysitting."

* * *

 _Sakura visited him in the hospital everyday fearing he'd go away again._

 _The moment he woke, he told her he was sorry towards her and Naruto. So uncharacteristic it was but the calmness in his face, rid of his usual arrogance, assured her. He truly was._

… _Sasuke was supposed to be in prison. The Kages were angered. He used Rinnegan's genjutsu on them after all. But Naruto and Kakashi pleaded on his behalf. Without question, she did too. By order of the Five Kage, he was sworn to go on missions demanding abilities he possessed with the Sharingan and Rinnegan._

… " _Hey, Sasuke-kun." She squatted on the ground as he did. "What are you doing?" Sakura asked in a voice so gentle as if prodding a child that she couldn't even recognize herself. This is the man she loved for years._

… _There wasn't an immediate response but the_ _shovel stopped_ _and he thought for a moment. "I don't know."_

… " _Do you want help?"_

… " _I must do this alone."_

… " _Why don't we find something we can do together?"_

… _He merely looked at her, pained as if she was taking something important away from him. "Sakura… I feel that I—" He looked down on the ground and pulverized a clump of soil in his hand. "I must do this."_

… _He's here and he's back. Team 7's Sasuke. But there are still barriers he won't let her in._

 _... "Okay."_

* * *

"I watched him work," Sakura continued, "At first I thought it was just some sort of self-therapy, you know like weeding is like cleansing and how working with soil reminds us of simple things in life. Things like that." Brief laughter graced her reminiscent smile. "Then later he brought in-"

"The friggin' manure." Naruto blurted out a hearty chuckle.

"It just proved how serious he really was but I never needed to guess about Uchiha Sasuke being the worst at gardening." Sakura sighed crossing her arms over the bulge of her belly. "We didn't have that sort of training."

"That." Naruto pointed at a covered compost pit beside the shed. "I never thought he'd ever accomplish _that_. Ya'know he likes to smell clean, right? Some shinobi he is. But he did it."

"Some shinobi indeed, when it's your wife who works her fingers to the bone just so you'd smell clean." Sakura scoffed.

Hinata opened the lid and peaked in. "Otou-sama has a compost but not this big." It was to sustain the whole field after all.

"Glad I didn't help with that one. I'm busy if I want to." Naruto grinned sheepishly.

"One day I came here and there was um... _poo_ beside him." Sakura's fist was over her mouth trying hard to be discreet. "D-didn't look hygienic at all." She retched at the memory; the smells, the strong imagery.

"Are you alright, Sakura-san?"

"Try to remember. Was it brown or yellow? Could've been his. Could've taken a dump. Was it swirling or-"

"Na-ru-to!" Sakura's glared and the blond eeped.

At that point, Sakura chose not to continue with what went on. She wrapped an arm around Naruto's waist, calming her disgusted nerves with the comfort of his shoulder even though his teasing had triggered it.

It wasn't how she viewed things the first time, it wasn't relief that she wasn't Sasuke's sunny sky. It was precious that Sasuke sought—that has always been on her mind—but she wasn't as graceful then.

* * *

" _What is—" Sakura pinched her nose. There was a disgusting mass catering to some flies a few feet from where Sasuke was. And he was spreading it on the soil like melted chocolate on cookie crumble. Acridly mouthwatering too. "What are you doing, Sasuke-kun?"_

… " _Planting," he answered nonchalantly. It stunk like sweat when you're out in the field for days or rotten food, spoiled rations that you'd rather die than eat—but his face didn't show it._

… " _Planting what?" Seriously, Sasuke should stop now. He can find other things to do._

… " _White lilies."_ _He grabbed bulbs inside a sack and deposited it on the holes he made mixed in with manure._ _"A flower to grow for every fallen comrade."_

… _Sakura snorted. "I know someone who told me the same thing. So naive, don't you think? Good to know you're feeling better enough to joke."_

… " _Hyuuga Hinata."_

 _... It took her breath away._

… _He uttered her name unbelievably lucent with a faint smile on his face that when he realized what happened, his eyes widened like he couldn't help it—smiling at the thought of Hinata—and he was astounded himself._

 _... It was sudden but something silently broke inside Sakura. Her mind tells her it isn't, that she just misread, but then her mouth went to prattle. "Since when?"_

… _He didn't answer. The odor became more_ pronounced _and painful._

… " _Since when did you start liking her?" Hinata never cared about Sasuke. She wasn't there when Sasuke abandoned Konoha the first time. It wasn't her who pleaded for him to stay. "Answer me." It wasn't her who wanted him back all this time._

… _Dark f_ _ringes veiled his eyes. "I'm sorry." And he really is, she could see it even through the tears which made her vision hazy._

… " _Tell me." She knew at some point in their lives, he cared for her but never gave her assurance of his affections nor a glimpse of security that she had his heart, but still, Sasuke knew how she felt. "I deserve to know."_

… " _Sakura, I am grateful that you've forgiven me when I did nothing but hurt you."_

… " _Tell me!"_

… _He slowly turned his gaze at the pale vanilla sky._ _"For as long as I remember, Hinata has always been who she is." There was no guile in his answer and his pensive dark eyes tell something deeper._

… " _What does that mean?!" She was probably screaming at that moment. She cried hard but he didn't even go to her._ Please. Please _. She begged in her mind but he just stood there steadfast just like how he always had been to her. "What does that even mean?" she repeated weakly._

* * *

"-He'd ask from the barns-" Naruto rested an arm on Sakura's shoulder, caressing her. "-Every morning till he'd gathered enough. Can you imagine?" he cleared his throat and knocked in the air, his brows furrowed to bring out a brooding look, "I need your daily cow dung. Yeah, I'm gonna use it. What for? To moisturize my skin with its grainy watery sticky-ness and shampoo my shiny hair with its smelly greasy feels—"

She spanked his arm.

"Ouch! Sakura-chan!"

"Argh! I just saw that! The baby saw that!"

"I tell great stories, I know." His shoulders shrugged, grinning haughtily and Sakura couldn't help the eye-roll while thinking he'd be a loveable dorky father. "He'll never admit he's into flowers."

Hinata laughed. "Sasuke-kun won't like that."

"Heck everyone thought it was the Five Kages' punishment, menial labor and stuff like that." Mirth dazzled Naruto's eyes as he cast a long look at the field of flowers. "At first I thought he was doing it to punish himself. But I came to think differently when his first plants died."

It was that time Sakura faced the truth. She can never make Sasuke sad or happy—not in the way that Hinata, as unaware as she was, could.

"He got really depressed and had an unforgettable speech. If he wasn't a shinobi, maybe he'd be a popular actor," mumbled Sakura, making mental comparisons how Naruto, on the other hand, is gross but very warm.

"He always had it in him, ya'know." Naruto nodded knowingly to himself. "The rotten bulbs triggered something like he just kinda snapped."

* * *

 _"I was away for three days," he muttered, rage glowing in his eyes as he kneeled. "Just for three days." The bulbs died just a few weeks after he planted them._

… " _Sasuke," Naruto carefully called as he tapped the raven's shoulder, "You can plant again. C'mon why're you so mad. That's no big deal. Ya'know what? Why don't we just go to Ichiraku's and…"_

… " _I failed," said Sasuke. "The flowers won't grow because my hands are stained with blood._ _In my breath is the smog of hate, vileness—impure. My words don't offer comfort, nor my voice is mellow as sweet that bids flowers 'grow' that they follow._

… " _Woe to me—my wretched soul. The land is forever cursed because of blood in the earth, in these hands and I,"-he slowly raised a palm to his face-"will continue to rot, facing the darkness._ _My filth has stricken these blubs with recompense, Naruto. There is no hope. Only damnation."_

… " _W-wait. Sa-Sasuke?" sputtered Naruto. "Calm down. You're getting ahead of your self. Geez. You know what? Plant again. Problem solved."_

 _... Sasuke scoffed in that despondent arrogant way of his, like he always knew better, that it was hopeless and they can't do anything about it._

 _.. "You don't understand. Can't you see? This is the cycle of hate manifesting in whatever I do. The flowers will rot and die over and over and over again."_

… " _Why don't you just tell her?" interrupted_ Sakura.

… " _Tell her what?" He stared at Sakura like she dumbly asked._

… " _Who's her?" asked the clueless blonde._

… " _Not the flowers." Sakura answered. She was hurt but with a strong façade, she bore through it. "What you really feel. You want her, don't you? Since she's the only one you'll want, then tell her. Go after her." The things Sasuke will never do for Sakura but she had wished he did. "Even if it's just one thing in your life, this time, go after what you truly want."_

… _An obscure moment of panic flickered, surreptitiously, but it was there. His legs froze on the spot. "Tell her?"_

… " _Uh, guys. This sounds serious. Sasuke's wanting a 'her' but who are we talking about? Is 'she' someone I know?"_

… " _No. That's not… She doesn't… She—" Sasuke fixed his gaze at Naruto then back at Sakura. Realizing his own inability to speak coherently, he breathed in deep. "She will never know."_

… " _Really? What if I tell you she's gonna cry?" Sakura held Naruto's hand, eliciting surprise from Sasuke's sombre countenance._

… " _Sakura-chan, you…" Naruto looked surprised himself because they weren't planning on telling anyone just yet._

 _... "I will tell you the things you wanna hear: you don't deserve her, you're pathetic—"_

… " _Hey, Sakura-chan." Naruto's tone was cautious with a hint of warning._

… "— _but here's the deal. I decided to hurt her. What are you going to do about it? Is she worth that little to you, that you'd mope over some flowers?"_

* * *

"Wait!" interrupted Sakura, moving away as she yanked her husband's arm. "Naruto, you didn't have to mention those! You're making it awkward," she said, wincing with an ugly grimace building up on her face. "I don't wanna cuddle anymore! You're hot!"

Just because she's not pitting up a heated front about doesn't mean Hinata didn't hurt when she took Naruto. And Naruto should be more aware. After all, he mulled over for days after Hinata's confession when Sakura decide to put in a bid. She knew it was a terrible thing to do, like a villainous woman in soap operas, but decided that if it didn't work between them, at least she gave Sasuke the chance he had long denied himself.

The realization hit Naruto obviously as his blue eyes gradually turned big and the silly look on his face began to fade. "Oh… oh… I'm sorry," he managed to say, ruefully scratching the back of his head. "I'm sorry Hinata. I wasn't thinking."

Hinata was a small distance away, busying her fingers, tracing the curves of furled lily blossoms. She bended down to immerse in the scent. "Was he encouraged by what Sakura-san said?"

"Yeah... I guess." Naruto sniffed as he snugly tucked his hands on his pants pockets. "After that he spent quite a lot of time reading about flowers. If you don't find him here, he's reading somewhere and he didn't train—er, fight, _brawl_ actually—with me anymore... You should've seen him first time he'd got a few blossoming." A smirk tugged his lips. "Didn't truly know bipolar till that moment. He was all 'Naruto look! Look!' Then I tried to help with the water hose and he turned to a cranky granma. I wasn't being gentle enough, he said. I was like, ' _Teme!_ What do you even know about being gentle?!' He never paid me, you know."

Hinata softly tittered, amusement evident in the splotches of pink on her cheeks. "I see. Thank you for everything you've done, Naruto-kun." She faced Sakura's direction and said: "That's amazing Sakura-san. I will definitely work hard to understand him better than you do."

It was as if Hinata's words stung like sweet venom. If there's one thing that's scary about Hinata besides the _jutsu_ in her arsenal and the Byakugan, it's when she smiles at like that and she speaks kind words but you never truly know what she thinks. Maybe Sakura was just paranoid but for a moment she was sure she felt a surge of something threatening, woman against woman perhaps. She shivered slightly.

"I-I'm sure you'll be great, Hinata. Come to think of it, we talked this morning, didn't we?"

"There are things we cannot change but the paths we chose to take are best embraced to the fullest," Hinata answered.

For a moment, Sakura was acutely aware of how Hinata belonged there, the field of flowers like a bride's trail on her back. She's the mistress of the white lilies; the flowers proclaim it.

"I wasn't there for Sasuke-kun when he was suffering—not in the past, not even now. But I am determined. I love him and I want to love him more. Though I can't be you and use those kind of words whenever he feels down, I want to be better—for him and for our child. For our family."

"That's the spirit." Sakura could only smile back at Hinata in acknowledgement.

* * *

Hinata has been curious about the shed for a while now. It was a quaint thing with a makeshift bench and terrace made of assorted wood, bare and old. There were black rubber boots near the doorstep with a pair of worn out, soil-tainted gloves on top. The terrace floor creaked as she stepped in, carefully avoiding the shovel lying freely on floor just below the window as she peered through the dusty, frosted glass.

"Sasuke won't let me in there. Delicate stuff, he said so it's off limits." Naruto picked the shovel and laid it standing on the corner, adjusting the pitch fork and broom for space. "He takes me for granted just like that. But really, your father told me they're just the same white lilies too."

"Otou-sama? Why would otou-sama…"

"Sasuke gave him a spare key."

Using the Byakugan she examined inside the shed. Aside from usual gardening tools, there were potted flowers in full bloom, and bulbs just beginning to grow back.

"Why did _they_ store the flowers inside?" Her father had been in this too, _scheming_ behind her back. "When those can be planted in the field?"

"When Sasuke gave you flowers the first time, it wasn't blooming season—don't get shocked: I know. Kakashi-sensei knows. We helped him with his lines," Naruto whispered and Hinata giggled slightly remembering how their first meeting went. They barely talked. "Those in there, they bloom at a different time. He got them someplace else—well he got all the bulbs someplace else...Arrgh!" He sighed. "Sasuke didn't… actually grow them like the rest you see here. Geez he'll skin me alive if he knew you knew when you're not supposed to. I swear it's not cheating! He was pressed for time, but he insisted on giving white lilies whenever he visits.

Hinata turned away from the window. "Pressed for time?"

"We heard your clan was trying to marry you off and so he talked to your father 'bout it. The next thing we knew he was getting married to you. I have _no_ idea how he did it. Sakura's father gave me a hard time."

"I asked my father some things. You endured well, dear husband," said Sakura, tapping Naruto's chest.

"Sakura-chan! You're mean! You-you… you were the one who asked me to marry you!"

"Did I? Do you have regrets?"

"No. But you're scheming!"

"Women can be scheming if they want to, Naruto-kun," said Hinata.

"Hinata… is that about me?" Sakura asked.

"Hn? Why would it be, Sakura-san?" Hinata cocked her head. "I think anyone can be scheming. Sasuke-kun is. Otou-sama too. Can't say I will be an exception." She let the words hung for a while. "I saw other flowers at the back."

Her hand traced the wall, fingers lingering as she walked and her _zouri_ slapped at her feet. On top of a dull white chair was a potted cactus and beneath it was a rusty bedpan containing lotus leaves with endearing firm stalks and still closed buds. Propped up against the back wall beside it was a loopsided shelf with aluminium cans, a kettle and some pitchers repurposed as pots planted with small flowering plants and herbs. Then her gaze landed on the red flowers hanged in baskets.

"Sasuke's favorite. Red poppies. He's got a whole patch lining the back fence." Naruto sniffled. The air was getting cooler. "One time he said if they're edible, he'd wanna eat red poppies. As for me, it's sakura of course," he added, directing his eyes away from his wife as he casually slides a hand across her back. "But for Sasuke, it's definitely red poppies—maybe 'coz it's red like the Sharingan, I dunno. Why would he wanna eat his eyeballs anyway?"

 _Eat?!_

"U-um, w-whoa! I-it's a very wide field, isn't it?" Hinata fanned herself feeling hot all of a sudden. What seemed so mundane bore through her with vivid sultry memories. "I-I can't see the end from here. I bet it's more than 67,472!" There was too much enthusiasm as she spoke, trying hard to deviate her mind to other thoughts. "A-all the houses were removed! The Uchiha compound is large!"

"Everything," answered Sakura. "When his small plots succeed, he went destroying everything with his snake summons. You can only imagine our shock when he set everything off with Amaterasu."

"Like purifying flames." Just like the flowers, to make everything new.

"I think the houses really meant a lot to him," Naruto said. "You see, when Sasuke was buildin' the house you guys were gonna live in, he didn't let me help... except for the roof. He said Uchiha men build houses for their families. Their house was built by his old man. And he just burned them all."

"He… was building a house?"

"Upstream Naka no Kawa, the training grounds?"

She stood silent.

"Oh wait. You don't know. He didn't tell you yet—figures. The unfinished interior. I'm dead. I'm dead. I'm dead."

"Now I know he's keeping a lot of secrets from me. What else is there? Tell me everything, Naruto-kun." A sharp glint passed her pearlescent eyes.

"A-are you mad?"

"I promise I won't tell." Her voice came out slightly angry.

"H-he writes poems—"

"I know he writes poems." When he stopped exchanging poems she had never been so perturbed that perhaps his life was in great danger.

"He has a small notebook with poems in it..."

"I haven't seen it." And the loneliest every time she reminded herself how powerful he really is so he's safe.

"He wrote poems about you… like mushy, embarrassing poems. He almost killed me when I read it."

"Now I have claims: the flowers, why otou-sama has a spare key to his shed, the house and the notebook with poems. Any more?"

Naruto shook his head with a sorry look on his face.

Why would Sasuke hide all these things from her? Hinata felt another kick. Time for dinner it is. "We better go back now."

Just as she turned to pace towards the clearing path which led to the gate, a flash of white appeared, bursting, scintillating into a form of man.

Her eyes widened. "T-Toneri-san?!"

Naruto hugged Sakura instinctively. "Whoa, man. Geez, my wife's due next month. Don't go spooky on us."

"You have left me in distress, Hinata." His tone was solemn, almost chilling. "Why do you say, for someone like Sasuke Uchiha, why do you say that you love him more?"

As the clouds passed and the light of the moon bared upon his countenance, a firmness like steeled resolve began to portray.

"It's because I do, Toneri-san," she answered. "You deserve happiness. Everyone does. But your happiness can never be with me. My happiness is with Sasuke."

"No! You do not love him."

The way he responded was harsh, almost callous. It seemed as though his delicate features which could attract fireflies propose to ambiguously twist into something strange in a sense and familiar all at once, something immensely human it threatened Hinata.

"I refuse to accept. He has crimes built upon crimes. Justice will prevail and he stands condemned, a low-life unworthy of your sublime words. I love and adore you, Byakugan Princess. Thou art kind, a beauty apart from this world filled with wretch, greedy for power. And he has taken advantage of that.

"Sasuke Uchiha is scum!"

つづく

* * *

Daifuku Mochiin Corner! "{ •̀,.,•́}

 **A Peaceful** **DM Presscon** at someplace other than the mochi box...

TV Reporter: Uh, hai, as you can see, DM the uh ex-con, stale confection is now entering the hall... and it looks weird with afro and mustache on. The presscon will begin shortly, please stand-by with us.

 **DM** : Greetings.*bows* I called for a presscon to thank everyone who has been with me in the FLGW journey so far. Thanks for all the reviews, love and follows! *bows* I've been spoiled so I do reply if I could.

camera clicks, flashing lights*

 **DM** : Because of you guys, everytime my phone vibrates, a happy feeling surges in my chest... Though most times they're just app updates, et cetera then I get heartburn, hahaha! I apologize that the story couldn't give happy feelings as per recent chapters-shoutout to dear pro-uchiha, sowie love-but I prepared lovely stuff for much later from my red bean brain. There'll be sweet fillings, hahaha! Get it?

camera clicks, flashing lights*

 **DM** : Hehe. Fillings. Feelings. Yup. 'kay.

Reporter 1: Greetings DM-san. I'm from Omae Hikikomori. What brought about your change of appearance? Is that a fashion statement-the beard, the afro? Looks disgusting.

 **DM** : Thank you for the wonderful question, miss. Just to tell you frankly, these are _molds_. "{ •̀,.,•́} I'm a stale confection so it's natural really but since my show was ousted, with the kidnapping scandal and all- _Achoo!_ -Excuse me. *blows nose* I stopped going out of my box and didn't find any reason to shave.

Reporter 2: Good day. I'm from Kusai Natto Shinbun. Cherry blossoms part five has a lot of revelations about Sasuke, didn't it? Also a hint about the antagonist, with Toneri saying Sasuke's scum.

 **DM** : Actually, a lot of stuff in this chapter and from the last chapter-the battle, Sasu's gardening life, the house, Hiashi's involvement-can be found hinted spreadout in previous chapies:

In White Lily part one, Sasu mentioned how Hinata-chan was like a white lily ascending from the mire.

From Bossom Carnations, in part one which was in Hina's POV, we got to know the outcome of NaruSasu battle.

Then in parts two and three, Sasu denies gardening but his thoughts revealed his gardening activities, and when he mentioned Naka no Kawa, yup, he thought about the unfinished house.

In part six, while he was drowning in Hinata-chan's bosom, *coughs* that was also a hint for what happened after the battle.

In part seven, Sakura's thoughts, yup, we see it here. Then Hiashi's convo with Sasu was hint for his watching over the flowers in the shed which Sasu gave to Hinata-chan during the date...hmm, what else. I think that's all. For now.

About Toneri, I will reveal what happened _and_ what's going to happen in the following chapters.

Reporter 2: A guest reviewer mentioned Konohamaru. Will he be appearing in FLGW?

 **DM** : Ah the dear guest ;) who mentioned Konohamaru. Thanks a lot for the reviews! You make DM smile:D Everyone makes DM smile. You guys make being DM very fun! However, DM is sorry that Konohamaru won't be participating in this fic. Though you're not a ToneHana shipper please look forward to how their relationship plays out. I planned stuff next chapter hahaha! To ToneHana shippers, DM recommends climbing up a tree. The drama will be clearer up there, plus it's safe.

Reporter 3: I'm from Tsundoku TV. An anon review said Sasuke was acting stupidly, to the point that they hated the last chapter and didn't wanna read anymore. What can you say about that?

 **DM** : To that dear guest, thank you for wishing me well and I'm sorry that he comes out as weak and not someone you'd like to cheer on. Hnn, how should I say this... FLGW is an unsophisticated attempt at portraying a penitent Sasuke who's been long time crushin' on Hinata-chan. I dunno if it justifies everything to you but last chapter, I couldn't make him stay and be all cool and badass. I really appreciate your feedback. It made me think deep about who Sasuke is and how I can better portray him to suit FLGW. DM is not much of a writer but I'll do my best. Dattebayo!

camera clicks, flashing lights*

Reporter 3: What was your template for Sasuke's character, the development that his character is taking on in FLGW?

 **DM** : *scratches scraggly head* Uhh, I dunno much about development but in canon, Sasu took a journey to come to terms with himself, right? Karin also said that the reason he stays away from Konoha is because of the people after him and his badass eyes; there's also his research on Kaguya. He thinks he compromises the safety of the village by staying there. I used the same premise in FLGW for Cherry Blossoms, though I made twists of my own but basically, he's somewhat going through the same thoughts and feelings... I think. Unnn... In this fic, he planted flowers for redemption, 'coz why not?

Presscon mediator-san: More questions for DM-san?... Yes, you.

Reporter 4: Freelance desu. Sasuke used Kagebunshin or Shadow Clone Jutsu to immobilize the Five Kages and the tailed beasts through Rinnegan before using Chibaku Tensei or the Planetary Devastation Technique, right?

 **DM** : Yeess. I feel like I know what you're gonna ask hehe.

Reporter 4: We never see anyone in canon using clones while using their Sharingan or Rinnegan, especially not Sasuke. What made you think doujutsu works like that?

 **DM** : Well he can use clones but he finds it lame ass thinking Naruto uses it to fend his loneliness. Though here, um, I... needed it to work. Is that an excuse? Otherwise no comment. Hahaha! I mean um he could do it canon way but Hinata's there and he needed to immobilize the Kages and bijuu. Works right?

camera clicks, flashing lights*

Presscon mediator-san: Well sorry Freelance-kun, a lame ass answer indeed. Any more?... None? Okay. That concludes-

 **DM** : Wait! Before I forget, I noticed that Cherry Blossoms Interlude has the least visitors. To those who want to continue this FLGW journey with DM, I recommend you read it if you haven't yet because a really important interaction between Sasuke and the Mangetsu no Kami is in there. I confess. I check the counter thingy... with addiction. It's a sub for when my phone vibrates... and it's email for something else or low batt hahaha!

Presscon mediator-san: Okay. Anything else, DM-san?

 **DM** : Ah! Hatake-san has two eyes. I changed it 'coz I forgot he was showing his eyes later on until I rewatched videos in youtube. My corrections have been frequent recently...sowie. And one more thing. The white lilies planted by Sasu are easter lilies and the flower found by Hinata in the battlefield was a formosa lily-'coz blooming season. In canon, the war happened sometime before Naruto's bday which is October 5. Sasu's a jerk. He didn't even greet him. Wanted him to croak instead. On his bday. _Tsk._

Presscon mediator-san: Chit-chat.

DM: Wait! I'm not yet done!

Presscon mediator-san: Shut your moldy trap! We're out of time!

DM: *whimpers*{ •,́з •̩̥̀}"

Presscon mediator-san: That concludes DM-san's presscon. Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen.


	24. XX

_**Edited** (major edition): 11-06-17_

 _This is a twin chapter to chapter_ _XIX_. _The two chapters happened simultaneously except towards the end where it merged to one._

* * *

 _Okay._

The fifteen-year-old took an ample breath in and let out a long audible sigh, half annoyed.

 _Hanabi, back from the beginning._

She crumpled another paper and dumped it on the growing mount of trash on her table top. It wasn't art. It was Hanabi's mental image of the plans you make to ensure that those who dare oppose you are crushed like paper for disposal.

She turned an earnest attention once again to drafting her outline. Outlines are very important. Hanabi knew what sets the party who gets the most out of a negotiation apart from the party led to believe they got equal the benefit is a well-drafted mental outline.

But first, a fitting title. A clear goal in mind will turn the tides in your favor. She tapped the pencil's blunt end on her temple.

 _How to defeat Hisoka Hyuuga…_

Same old, same old.

She's stuck with the same desire since three days ago.

 _Too strong, no?_

She spun on her seat, the seemingly endless roundabout much like her thoughts.

If she is to be brutally honest with herself, the ideas which are now but a discarded bunch of crumpled paper on her desk were childish petty taunts which ranged from shaming her grandmother's lame sense of style to speculations on some mid-life crisis hitting the old woman late or maybe some frustration about her own marriage. Really, she knew nothing of the latter—she's still wet behind the ears to be talking about such matters but she could try. But then it's as if she's just looking for another fight. She had always come off too strong against her grandmother that the elderly woman is always expecting it from her.

Another method might work effectively. A softer approach perhaps?

... _Add a bit of drama, a teary eye._

Hanabi stopped her spinning chair, the cogs of her brain beginning to turn.

Not really bawling—crying is for the weak—but she'd be a different Hanabi for once, a heartstring tugging creature at work.

Then, when the old woman is disarmed... a gnash to kill! Crushing and pulverizing the prey to minced meat!

It was a crazy depiction—slightly disturbing but rather enticing—and the sinister laugh—villain-worthy in movies—which she deliberately produced for added effect amused her only that Hanabi believes she is the hero of justice. Her feet now fastened on the floor, she inched closer to the desk and wrote:

"How to Change Hyuuga Hisoka's Mind: Operation Minced Meat"

What a brilliant title! Utterly inspired, an unstoppable grin elicited on her face.

 _First step..._

 _S_ he wrote as she mentally dictated, is that she… get someone _else_ to present her contentions—the gnashing, crushing, pulverizing element. Groaning, she rolled her eyes and hit her back on the back rest.

Like the good 'ol good shinobi interrogator bad shinobi interrogator routine, Hanabi will be the "meat tenderizer" and someone else should work as the "meat-pounder-slash-mincer".

It's a known fact that a teenager like her is ignored when it comes to marital affairs. That would be the most basic rebuttal there is in her grandmother's book. And the only one who she knows could stand against her grandmother as of the moment is (with a heavy heart, she admitted) her grandfather.

Her gaze lingered on the pile of books on her table. The red book on top was _Art of War._ She was told to pay deep attention to that. Unfortunately, the person who gave such counsel is still unconscious in the hospital, otherwise she wouldn't be in her room brooding about what to do and would rather eat Toneri's soup if it comforts him… _Uh._

She did not just think that! The Hyuuga heiress shook her head in protest.

 _Back to the main thought, Hanabi_ , she internally chided.

She hoped her father would wake up soon and by then everything would be solved. Her grandmother's not going to win against this. With what confidence did she even begin to think that the head of the clan would support his pregnant daughter's divorce and remarriage? Frankly, there is no need for her to brood about these things.

Why then does she bother?

Well, first of all, she wanted Toneri away from Hinata as soon as possible.

Hinata is bothered and Hanabi is equally bothered whenever her sister is. Though Hinata's probably having the best time of her life as of the moment, gazing at more than 60,000 white lilies that the white lily man planted just for her. Who would've thought, right? Unbelievable really. And Toneri… he should just go home and embrace defeat, back to where no one eats with him. He's got a clan and he's rich. Not a pitiful guy really.

She tapped the pencil on her forehead, reminding herself to stay focused. Her thoughts are straying off again.

The main thing is, even if her father is already safe in Konoha, she still has to do something like talk to her grandfather _again_.

She corrected her posture as she sat with eyebrows raised, trying to emulate an air of maturity.

 _What was ojii-sama's deal?_

Below "First Step" she wrote, "Sub op: Meat Mincer".

Indeed, why was the "meat mincer" unavailable the last time she needed it when pregnant Hinata was kneeling _dogeza_ in front of the "meat"?

It was about Sasuke. The whole situation happened because of Sasuke.

That is not to say that she could blame it all on him entirely. The white lily man had his reasons for staying away. When Sasuke told her of his predicament, Hanabi almost felt sorry for him. Almost. The margin of mercy you give your enemies. He's a beat-up meat and yet her grandfather called him scum. (She's all about meat analogy as of this point.)

Scum.

 _What's a scum anyway?_

Filthy like pond scum.

If anything, the derogatory aspect doesn't apply to her brother-in-law. Hanabi can attest to that.

She placed her chin on her knuckle, the digits manipulated to portray feigned gracefulness and make-believe sophistry while her legs crossed and her toes pointed sharply.

The keen glint in her eyes settled upon the bold pink canister of stationery supplies just behind a fancy desk lamp which Hanabi liked for its cherry blossom inspired flower-shaped head. Inconspicuous among the assembly of pens capped with cutesy characters were two sleek black metallic rods.

Taking the paired objects into her hand, a cunning smile formed on her lips.

 _Why didn't I think of this before?_ _Things like these had been contributory to Konoha's destruction._

Sure they look like boring pencils but they are scary pencils. Hanabi didn't want to hold them since they're of the white lily man—made of his flesh and bones is not a far off possibility, which is quite disturbing enough—and are actually for _skewering_ meat—by all means, euphemistically—but as she always say, desperate times call for desperate measures.

There's no guarantee, but once successful of convincing her grandfather that Uchiha Sasuke is no scum—not that she's fully supportive of him—a leeway is created to raise some very important points thus creating a "meat mincer" for the "meat of the matter" Hyuuga Hisoka. Somehow the plan's coming along nicely but sad that it had come to this when her grandfather used to be one of the most reasonable people she knew.

Getting out of her seat, she proceeded to take a bath towel from her wardrobe after realizing her armpits were beginning to stink. Having went through the day without even washing her face as she waited for her father to wake up just proved that her grandmother's scheme of making Hinata divorce Sasuke in order to marry Toneri is weighing heavily on her to the point of self neglect. She wanted a quick bath, just enough to get rid of the grime and sweat.

Hanabi turned on the light in the bathroom and began undressing with peculiar efficiency, her used clothes ending up in the laundry basket even before she could blink back, obsessively consumed in drowning herself with thoughts of conquest.

First argument she'd tell her grandfather: the validity of Hinata and white lily man's marriage.

Hanabi had emphasized that already but her grandfather shut her off when he called Sasuke scum. She was fairly decent during the conversation and presented her opinion with respect but what did she get?

Bitterness in her heart.

She hadn't expected anything like that coming out of her grandfather's mouth. Maybe it was intended to throw her off like she's some mindless anserine gal, driven away like a whipped dog. Now that she has thought of a way to counter that, it's the truth that stands out the most.

Second point…. _Second, hmm…_

The heiress watched lather accumulate on her arms as she scrubbed the circular loofah briskly on her skin.

Second would be the fact that Toneri's clan accepts remarriage to a pregnant _divorced_ woman only after she's given birth. All the aforementioned conditions are yet to exist.

 _Toneri-jiji is ultimately stripped off of his marriage prospect status even if obaa-sama aka "meat" insists. Ojii-sama aka "meat mincer" would never want unnecessary trouble brewing from this mess._

Toneri's unknown clan. Even if that is taken out of the equation, it cannot be denied that the man is just an obedient, foolish pawn.

Hanabi chuckled being reminded how his hand trembled as though frightened when his finger touched her lip.

 _What was that all about?_

He is such a helpless innocent guy; someone you'd want to put in a warm, fuzzy, knitted pouch and tuck safely inside your pocket. Definitely not meat. Maybe some sort of a dwarfish flower.

The loofah stopped scrubbing in abrupt she heard it screech.

She did not just think that! Toneri whatsoever-his-clan's-name-is, the _hope fool_ and old-man-look-alike is _not_ adorable!

 _Yuck!_ Hyuuga Hanabi's mind is a weapon. An art built for war. Cold war. Heated war. No putting people in pockets. _Ever._ She turned the cold shower to a maximum and the water splashed heavily on her soapy head.

"Better hurry, better hurry…" Hanabi murmured and her lips were just starting to shiver.

Her grandfather rests early in the evening but she decided to talk to him now. Tommorow is fine. She could stall for another day but she must talk to him now.

Why?

One word. _Pride._ Maybe it's just her being petty, but her pride is keeping her awake at night.

She stopped the water and fetched the towel hanged on the door. Hanabi's long black hair dripped as she dried and she looked at her naked self on the mirror. Setting the damp towel on her shoulders, she puffed her chest out and took a long look at the girl staring at her, studying a practiced determined glare and then a confident smirk. A cool, clever heiress demeanor.

She stared at her growing breasts, idly wondering if Hinata had been her size when she was her age.

She couldn't remember though. She cupped each one and found out that her hands fit just perfectly right, nothing in excess. Is that a bad thing?

 _If it were Hinata-neesama, a palm definitely wouldn't fit, it would definitely spill and…_

Suddenly, a memory of her sister and her husband's hand squeezing on her breasts came to mind. It was just a flash of memory but it greatly perturbed and she shook her head wildly in disgust, jumping frantically as if doing so would juggle her brain cells and make her forget.

 _Away! Away! Away!_

It will probably haunt her forever.

A heaving, mad looking beast looked back at her from the mirror. If there was an addition of fangs, she'd definitely look like someone who lived deep in the jungle with long hair dishevelled for tree branches had grazed and tangled it through, twigs like fingers, like pale elegant slender fingers had run through it and she could see him and his fluffy mop of white hair standing behind her. And she was naked. Horrified, she slapped both of her cheeks.

One time. Then twice. No, not thrice. Her cheeks are now red and stinging.

Something is wrong with her mind.

This is self-destruction.

 _Okay, let's go back to the main thought, Hyuuga Hanabi. Hyuuga. Hanabi. Hyuuga!_ _Hanabi! Onward to commence Suboperation Meat Mincer!_

The heiress scampered to the wardrobe where she hastily withdrew a yellow _yukata_ with fire patterns seeming to burn at the hems. Perfect. She blow dried her hair in a hurry and tied the white ribbon around it.

 _Fine_ , she admitted.

Toneri had been good at fixing her hair. Not as good as she does though. But it cannot be denied that the man has an interesting set of skills: fixing hair, cooking, talking weird, talking dog, puppets. Lots of them.

Her shoulders dropped, , wishing the spirit possessing her to think of some white haired guy to unpossess. Evil, annoying spirits—the teasing kind. If there were. She'd rather believe they do exist.

"Why am I so distracted tonight?... Hurry up now."

She exited her room but immediately went back in again.

The two black rods resting on her cedar desk were almost forgotten.

She carefully placed the sharp-edged objects inside her sleeves. The meat skewers, as she liked to call it, will be used for a purpose totally different from what the white lily man intended, but still, it will be for protecting Hinata. Her grandfather was wrong and she will see to it that he sees things her way.

"Hanabi-sama," Kou bowed. "I suppose you already know about Hiashi-sama."

She nodded.

"Min had finally sent a message. It came from Suna. They were separated from Hiashi-sama in the desert. They encountered Hiashi-sama's enemy and were overpowered."

 _Overpowered?_

The word gave her shivers. Her dead cousin Neji was the popular budding Hyuuga genius—an overpowered, hardworking force—but the strongest in the clan is ultimately the head himself. Overpowered they say? How did it even compare?

"Which enemy?"

"No name. Just that the enemy had used puppets to attack them."

"Puppets?" Someone came to mind. A person who's delicate and pretty and stupid. He's immediately out of the perp list. His name couldn't even make it to that list. "What about the thing I asked you?"

Kou's shoulders slackened as he listlessly scratched the back of his head. "Hanabi-sama, I don't really know what to tell you. He is a strange fellow alright."

Hanabi suppressed a chuckle. "Yes, he is."

"Apart from when he goes here, he doesn't do much. He only stands on the roof of the elders' manor for most of the time, holding out some _ninjuts_ _u._ A glowing orb. And then, birds would flock to him from time to time like a perching post."

The Hyuuga heiress burst out in laughter. It was silent during evening in the compound and she was pretty sure everyone heard her.

"I'm sorry."

It wasn't anything funny. Predictable, more of. Why she laughed hard confused her. It must be because she was seeking something to lighten her mood. It must be that.

"Um… Why do you think he does that?" She wasn't asking seriously, the nuance was rhetorical. Toneri was adunce.

"I have no clue. But my conjecture is that he's observing." Kou caressed the underside of his chin, thinking deep. "Maybe he could tell something from the wind or the sounds. Otherwise, he wouldn't be in such a high place. He may be blind but he sure can climb."

The smirk on Hanabi's lips stayed as she folded her arms. "Well according to him, he can see. Clearly. I'm sure you've noticed how he is. It's creepy, I know."

"Last night though," Kou continued, "With the glowing orb on his hand, I heard him say, 'the one you seek is in Konoha. Take extra* caution'... It seems that he can communicate through it. I thought about it and I have a certain guess as to what he is. I am familiar with that work. We are Hyuuga after all. He does it for the same purpose you sent me, Hanabi-sama... One thing though. My intuition tells me that man has other motives aside from marrying Hinata-sama."

Hanabi went digging into various possibilities as she was mentally trained to do.

"Thanks for your hard work, Kou-san," she said. The man bowed before he left.

Half her mind, rational, said that Toneri can't be trusted—well, she doesn't really trust him. Does she? Another half of it said Toneri is too simple-minded to be complex. Certainly he knew some things she doesn't know, he could be a spy for all she cared… he could be bad at it. Maybe she shouldn't concern so much about him.

She has a grumpy grandfather to talk to and she will slay.

"Suboperation: Meat Mincer will now commence."

Hanabi could feel the flames on her _yukata_ blaze as she traipsied over to the other side of the compound.

* * *

The elders' manor is considerably larger, the wooden floors polished to the degree it takes to mirror one's soul and it always smelled clean. Too clean for a house made of wood, grass and paper.

Hanabi would sometimes wonder about her grandmother's sense of austerity, whether there'd be times when she finds herself filthy as she looks at herself in the mirror, whether she'd look at her wrinkly hands and the filth of her decaying skin would disgust her too, and whether there are times when Hyuuga Hisoka looks at herself the way she'd look at Hanabi with disdain when she talked back.

No servants came to greet her and so she walked past the receiving room where a conspicuous scroll was hanged on the wall, the characters _meiyo_ (名誉) which means honor written across it.

A Hyuuga must always preserve the family's honor.

What does that really mean anyways? The meat, the essence of the character than just a mere scribble of ink on paper. Hanabi mulled over briefly as she took steady, determined steps to her grandfather's quarters.

She saw her grandmother as she walked past the _engawa_ , sipping tea in the tea room where she'd sometimes be murmuring things to the other members of her council, and her lips would then be barely moving but she could murmur incessantly still; distant, cold hands and cold words, mechanical.

The old woman's eyes were looking faraway deep inside her that it seemed like she wasn't actually there. Her grandmother didn't even notice Hanabi pass by her visual periphery.

The Hyuuga heiress was halted on her steps when she saw no light permeating the _shoji_ of her grandfather's quarters.

Was she too late?

 _What about Suboperation Meat Mincer?!_

She decided it was going to happen tonight! It was as if a bucket of water was brusquely thrown over her flames, her fire which blazed like destructive meteors! It was going to be a conquest! This is what she gets when she's distracted. She blamed it all on Toneri whose face persistently appeared on her mind.

"Can I just… just… _ugh!_ " Her hands pulled the doors swiftly aside.

What does she gain from this? Nothing. It's her pride acting up. She figured she might as well practice mock conversations. That would be more productive and _fun_ as compared to lying down on her bed, thinking about what to do all over again—her mind does that sometimes. Not to mention Toneri's face. Hanabi scowled.

Since when did she get into this ordeal?

It's not fun at all and her chest would be feeling weird, all stuffy and suffocating.

She bit on her lip as she trespassed. There'll be punishment but if no one finds out, everything will be just fine.

It was dim and the light from outside casted blurry brightness. She saw her grandfather sitting in front of his _chabudai_ and her heart jumped up her throat.

"Oh. Ojii-sama." She's going to be reprimanded for intruding her grandfather's quarters. Or worse. Beaten with Hyuuga Hisoka's stick on the calves at fifteen years old. "Um… I didn't know you were here… The lights were… off?"

So much for the mental outline and all the mental preparations she underwent just for this. So much for "Sub op: Meat Mincer". Maybe she'd have to scratch "Operation Minced Meat" as well, just when she thought that was finally good. She can now flush her pride down the toilet. _Immature._

The elderly man didn't reply.

There was this uncanny stagnation inside the room.

As Hanabi's eyes adjusted to the dark, she could make out the outline of a tea cup on top of the short-legged table.

It was as if everything was settled the same way as before, only that it had been daytime, early in the morning. Her grandfather had sat the same way and his tea cup was on the same place.

"O-ojii-sama?" She gulped. "A-are you… alright?"

It can't be, right? A _yokai._

A hiss of cold air entered. Hanabi could hear the sound of her own foot brushing against the _tatami_ as she slowly neared her grandfather. Her hands gripped firmly on the sleeves of her _yukata_ where some kunai and black rods were stashed.

"Uhh…" The old man groaned, a muted suppressed sound from his silhouette.

"O-ojii-sama?" Hanabi called out. It sounded ghastly. It must be a _yokai_ for sure.

"Uhh…" Choppy breath and voice thin, fragile as a sheet of glass—it sounded like he was falling away. "Hh… help."

Hanabi hurried to pull the switch of the ceiling light, brushing aside the coldness shaking her bones.

Clear brightness graced the room and she saw her grandfather's ailing countenance. He sat with back straight and knees firmly tucked in but his face was gruesomely pale, his lips chapped, struggling to breath.

"Ojii-sama!" She rushed to hold her grandfather. "What's wrong?"

But her grandfather couldn't reply. It's as if he was restrained, and his call for help had been to the utmost of his efforts. Her Byakugan activated and she became utterly horrified with what she saw.

Someone had sneaked in and casted a _jutsu_ on her grandfather.

It was spherical, glowing green, and it latched onto her grandfather's central chakra core, sending signals to his nervous system. A mind controlling _jutsu._

"Who dared?!" Hanabi whispered angrily as she locked her grandfather's chakra points. The elderly man fell towards the floor but Hanabi caught him. She was relieved to hear him freely breathing at last.

"What happened ojii-sama?"

She could feel her eyes heating up. Within those days that passed, she had thought nothing but ill notions towards her grandfather and she didn't even notice him undergoing silent torture.

How many days was he suppressed like that? It had been three days ago when she visited him. He was able to speak. In contrast, her grandfather could barely reply now and only the passage of air on his cracked lips informed her he was alive but very, very tired. His head dropped to her arm, falling unconscious and as his gray hair parted at his nape, freezing chills ran to the tips of her fingers.

It glared at her—a black concave symbol.

Toneri's seal.

How wrong she had been. It was as if she floated for a moment as the disillusionment sank further, deeply in.

Her Byakugan strained to widen its range.

Hanabi's visual prowess revealed her grandmother sipping tea with the same glowing orb trapped in her chest, sending chakra signals to her brain. All the maids in the elders' manor too. As she strained further, she saw Michiru lying on her bed with the same _jutsu_ embedded into her. Then she saw Kou fighting against Toneri's metal puppets which were attacking him with a blast of powerful energy.

Shame on her for thinking about her family that way. The whole "meat" and "meat mincer" thing ate her out, reminding her of her own narrow-mindedness.

He had not been just a hobbyist. Toneri is a schemer, a manipulator.

A mind controlling _jutsu_? What are the odds?

Three days ago, Toneri arrived out of nowhere, suddenly gaining the favor of the women's council; the divorce her grandmother insisted with empty eyes, calling her a blight; her grandfather not drinking his tea, calling Sasuke scum; Michiru suddenly giving her a cold shoulder. Everything. And she, of all people, had been tightly wound by his thread of lies. He is good at that. Just like how he did her hair. And she stupidly let him.

Hanabi carefully laid his grandfather's head on the _zabuton._ She bowed deep in a _dogeza_.

"I am so… sorry ojii-sama. I have dishonored you."

She clenched her fists engraving deep, painful crescents into her palms, stabbing at the pulse of vein on the center—the pressure point straight to the heart.

* * *

•••

* * *

Toneri watched from the corridor as the water splashed and the heiress' manservant floundered to come out of the pond. The colorful fishes flited and scattered away as though electrocuted. He utilized three of his puppets to assault Kou from among a few dozen sculpted metal knights and porcelain dolls for domestic functions lined up behind him after the man had daringly halted his steps.

Toneri had stored his precious troops inside an unused garage even though they were artifacts of war and prized memorials of his family's victory. The heiress didn't seem to like them and after much deliberation, he decided to hide them away until the need arises. Since he is going home for a time he brought them out before setting out to see the heiress.

He merely wanted to go to the elders' manor where Hanabi went. There was a necessity to hurry along with his plans.

The lunar dweller figured it decent to invite her to live with him on the moon together with Hinata after elucidating matters concerning her Byakugan which will have the honor of fulfilling what was written in the will of Hamura. After all, even if he needed her eyes, she is amicable towards him and the Byakugan Princess will be glad if her sister comes to live with them too.

The Byakugan Princess continued to love Sasuke Uchiha despite everything he had done. Everything that Toneri had set in place were wasted and he didn't see any point in trying to earn Hinata's affections as of the moment.

He read tomes about courtship written by early moon settlers and determined to let everyone see all the filth in Sasuke Uchiha, make the Byakugan Princess hate him—as she should—but after the imperfect turn of events, he reckoned it fit to revert back to the original course of the grander scheme for the destruction of the world.

He must acquire the Tenseigan now. Matters weren't going as he intended thus the imperative to commence the next phase of the plan. He will return for the Byakugan Princess later and from there on, they will be together for eternity and she will—using the heiress' term—"learn to love him" and forget all about Sasuke Uchiha.

A flash of yellow flew past Toneri's vision sending one of his knights reeling to the ground just as it was delivering the final attack on the manservant.

"What's the meaning of this, Toneri?" Hanabi asked, her glare cold and frigid as the gloom on the dark side of the moon.

Kou coughed as he strived to lift himself out of the pond. "Hanabi-sama," he panted, gripping on his abdomen where he was badly hit. "Get away. He's dangerous. Those puppets… I'm sure those were what attacked Hiashi-sama."

"I'll fight him."

"No! I can—"

"Ojii-sama needs help, Kou-san."

As Hanabi turned to Kou, the man limped and sprinted away as though her face had frightened him into immediately following her command. When she faced Toneri, her eyes were sharp, exuding with intensity never seen before.

"Didn't you hear me? What's the meaning of this?"

Even if the heiress was born moon days later than he was, Toneri felt that didn't amount to anything. She is small but the way she bore herself with strength, her mentality an impenetrable fortress, made it seem like she is on par with him in maturity.

"Heiress, I didn't think I would have to do this earlier, but I need something of yours."

"Something of mine?" Hanabi smirked, and the way she asked was vile—a poison bubbling from her mouth. "You bastard."

Her white orbs, almost incandescent in quality, was filled with rage, looking at him with scorn as though he was filthy.

"AAAHHHH!"

The emotions bursting through her body overwhelmed the smallness of her form. Why is the heiress looking at him like so?

Angered.

Angered as he is by the people of the world who abuse chakra to wage wars and battles against each other. Just a while ago, he fed her an apple and she seemed to like it. He was able to read her then.

"I hate you."

"Why?" he asked, stepping down the _engawa._ A painful feeling grew inside him. "Just when you were beginning to like me too. I couldn't read your mind when I first saw you." He just wanted her out of his path then. She was of no use to him. However, later on, he took subtle pleasure in her company. "The passageway was tightly shut and guarded but then, when I gave you the apple, I heard you laugh in your head and—"

"Shut… up!"

Hanabi lunged at him aiming a chakra-laced appendage into his chest. He called forth a knight to shield him and the heiress' palm wrecked into it forming a deep dent on its hard shell.

"Why would you hurt me?"

His act of defense seemed to anger her more. She howled as she thrusted her palm into his puppet, shattering its metal chest and it flew breaking the paper doors. His teeth clenched in vexation at the loss of a prized knight. Toneri flickered to Hanabi's back.

"Why are you doing—"

He was immediately cut off when the Hyuuga heiress turned sharply and directed a fatal palm towards where his stomach was supposed to be. Toneri instinctively summoned a puppet to sprint in front of him. The force from Hanabi's attack swept the puppet away and the sharp clanging of metal as it crashed to the ground grated painfully on his ears. Another precious artifact broken, sacrificed just to avoid getting hurt and at the same time making certain the heiress is not injured. Toneri cannot risk damaging her Byakugan which are as pure as that of the Byakugan Princess.

"Why did you do that to ojii-sama?" she said, her head hung low as her feet shifted into another stance, getting ready to attack.

"Obaa-sama too and Michiru. What did you do to everyone?!"

Toneri noticed minute ripples on the pond's surface which reflected the bright moon. It was as if her voice could shake the earth below.

"Treating them like your puppets!"

Hanabi yelled as she advanced towards Toneri with the intent to kill. He sent his knights one by one to hamper her path, attempting to grasp her limbs and restrict her movement but she was able to dodge with gracefully in austute agility. Her small hands raging with chakra twisted his knights' limbs and in the flurry of movements, Toneri could hear their well-crafted arms creaking, their tempered chests disintegrating as she exerted powerful thrusts, infusing more chakra into their power cores, bursting and melting the metal surface.

"You can do more than that, can't you? Like you did to my father!" Hanabi growled.

He willed his puppets to jump over her, their bodies lithe and the sound of air passing through their hollow parts whistled. The incoming knights formed a barrage to suppress her movements from above.

Perhaps once she's calm, she'd listen to what he has to say. It is, after all, for the greater good. Her father didn't understand but maybe she would.

" _Hakkesho Kaiten!"_ Hanabi declared as she spun swiftly and the rotating chakra defense sent Toneri's puppets flying off, dust unsettling as their backs smashed hard on the ground.

He had enough. The knights should not be damaged any further.

"I take it you will not talk to me," Toneri said. "I am here for an important quest, heiress. It is written in the will of Hamura. As the last of the Ootsutsuki who dwelled on the moon, it is my life's duty to render justice upon this world."

"Cut your nonsense. You will die." With her knees bent, the center of her gravity supported by the soles of her feet, she barrelled towards Toneri. Chakra glared from her clawed hands.

Toneri decided to use his chakra absorbing _jutsu_. She's no different from her father. They force him to resort to underhanded methods when all they had to do was lend him an ear and do as he says. He was the one who has read the will of Hamura. It should be an honor for the Hyuuga to fulfill lord Hamura's desire for a purer world.

The Hyuuga heiress stumbled. Just as her face almost hit the ground, Toneri controlled his knights to hold her arms and shoulders carefully.

Hanabi heaved and she bit firmly on her lip and a thread of blood trickled down her chin.

"Why are you hurting yourself?" he asked, alarm rising at his tone. His anger washed away as a feeling of terror began to sprout within. The sight of her lips oozing with blood greatly disturbed him. He was cautious so as not to hurt her but she wounded herself instead.

"Don't…" Energy sapped out as Hanabi spoke. "You don't care." Liquid streamed down her eyes and a weak cry escaped her mouth. "Ojii-sama…" she muttered as her brows curled painfully.

The blood stained her clothing.

"Heiress, I was meaning to save only Hinata. The clan head said she must love me first. Sadly however, she exchanged my affections for Sasuke Uchiha's. Even so, the Byakugan Princess is important to my ancestors and I love her."

Toneri retrieved a silk kerchief from inside his sleeve and reached out carefully to Hanabi, lightly dabbing on her chin. It only made her cry more, her tears wetting his digits. Her voice thinned into a sharp whistling and it wasn't a pleasing sound. It was as if he'd stabbed and twisted a knife in her heart and she was in dire pain, a gore only barbaric earthlings would afford themselves to do. He swept away locks of hair which covered her face and lifted her chin gently.

"Why do you cry?"

Toneri looked at her. Not just at her but see through her—through the passages formed in the mind by memories and thoughts. As the heiress was weakened, Toneri was able to read her mind.

"Your grandfather was strong. I had to take other measures to ensure that he does as I intend. I knew you would seek his help. Your servant girl was very noisy. I didn't like her at all but I didn't put a seal on her. I merely made her calm, heiress. You shouldn't feel bad about her.

"About your grandmother, she was easily influenced. After all, she and I have similar thoughts about Sasuke Uchiha."

"You loathe her but why do you cry for her? She didn't need my seal. Only your grandfather. It was necessary to perfectly execute the scenario. Otherwise, there was none to introduce me to Hinata. I am aware such is proper custom. If my father was alive, he would feel strongly for me to follow what is proper. But your father would not give me his permission. I proved to him how Sasuke Uchiha was unfit for the Byakugan Princess but he attacked me instead. You see heiress—"

 _Slap!—_ The force from Hanabi's palm made Toneri lean sideways. She managed to unfetter her wrist.

Never was such a thing done to him before. Gone were his thoughts, trailed off, strayed. The power from the Hyuuga heiress' hand took his breath away, the surprise made his chest throb. There was nothing quite like it.

Toneri turned to face Hanabi once again and she slapped him a second time. It baffled Toneri how his head would swing as the heat of her palm stung on his cheek, how it sets something flying inside of him. The feeling can only be compared to flying.

Why was the heiress doing that?

She had intended to hurt him. By touching his cheek. How peculiar. The Byakugan Princess' sister should be unconscious by now but she is amazingly strong. She is fighting against his chakra absorption unlike he's ever seen before.

The heiress snapped her arm and other wrist free from his puppet's grip. She moved desperately towards him even as she was enfeebled and her eyes were closing to slumber. Hanabi's hand flew towards his face and at last, she fell unconscious. He caught her and her fingers slid down his nose and strayed inside his lips. The scent from her hand made him shiver, charmed by its organic verve, fresh and vaguely sweet, and the heat from her petite body was pressed closed to him, mixing with his own.

As he stooped down to carry her weight, her breath blew on his face, alive and uncontrollable. Her parted lips, wounded and succulent, seeming to burst, having a will of its own, demanded his attention. He was transfixed for a moment and some of his puppets fell to the ground like he lost control over them all of a sudden. When he came to after a moment in trance, the puppets stood back on their feet and drew close to him. He looked at them as if they'd understand.

"I changed my mind. We cannot bring her with us. The heiress is far too dangerous."

Just then Hyuuga clansmen came and surrounded the full parameter of the area. He will just take what he needs.

* * *

Toneri sat on his green chair by the moonstone-framed hearth of glowing light. He placed a special glass container with Byakugan eyes floating inside on the circular table with gilded engravings beside him.

The Byakugan will take some time after it is put in before the Tenseigan becomes fully ingrained. By then, everything will fall into place just as he had originally planned.

The Byakugan Princess will have no choice but to be with him.

She was the inspiration for his ancestors and they dearly loved her. As proof they built shrines for her. Toneri had loved her before he even saw her.

Sasuke Uchiha will never compare to him. Toneri knew that his love for the Hinata is greater and fuller, standing through the test of time and distance.

However, he had underestimated Sasuke Uchiha's abilities. While the man is a low-life, he had utterly deceived Hinata into holding onto him no matter how vile he was. The Rinnegan he possessed was a reminder that the Six Path Sage Hagoromo, the lord Hamura's brother, had failed. There was war and Kaguya was summoned which caused chaos to erupt inside the moon. Sasuke Uchiha's kin activated the evil _jutsu_ his ancestors had been guarding against.

Toneri cast out a glowing orb which projected the Earth.

Earth.

He let the green orb hover to show the white lily garden Hinata's guests told her about.

Toneri's brows raised as he linked his fingers together, his elbows propped against the cushioned velvet arm rests. It was nothing compared to his palace gardens.

The Byakugan Princess deserves the most beautiful and perfect state of things. He has a lot more to offer Hinata than Sasuke Uchiha ever could.

His fingers caressed the glass vessel containing the heiress' eyes floated. Once the Tenseigan is complete, justice will be delivered. He will have the fate of their world in his hands.

He saw Hinata talking to her guests. Just as she turned to pace along the clearing, Toneri used his projection _jutsu._

"T-Toneri-san?!" Hinata appeared surprised.

Naruto, the man who held the tailed beast's chakra inside him hugged his wife. Toneri knew he was a threat. He had been careful around him.

"Whoa, man. Geez, my wife's due next month. Don't go spooky on us."

Toneri slightly cocked his head. Spooky, he noted, is a peculiar word. He turned his attention back to Hinata.

"Hinata."

"Toneri-san. Why are you here?"

"You have left me in distress, Hinata."

In what way was Sasuke Uchiha ever more worthy than he is? As to why Hinata would think about the scum all the time is something Toneri finds incomprehensible. Some unknown _jutsu_ must have been involved just as he initially thought. But there was no evidence. There was no hint or trace.

"Why do you say, for someone like Sasuke Uchiha, why do you say you love him more?"

"It's because I do, Toneri-san."

Her answer filled him with anger. Why does she hurt him intentionally? Even though she knew he loves her. He was perfect in every way. As an Ootsutsuki, perfection has always been his way of life. There was nothing in him that lacked.

"You deserve happiness. Everyone does. But your happiness can never be with me. My happiness is with Sasuke."

His fists clenched. "No! You do not love him."

It was in Hamura's will that the Byakugan Princess' love will come to the people on the moon.

Toneri's father had told him he is the fated one to receive all that love.

Sasuke Uchiha made it all wrong.

"I refuse to accept. He has crimes built upon crimes. Justice will prevail and he stands condemned, a low-life unworthy of your sublime words. I love and adore you, Byakugan Princess. Thou art kind, a beauty apart from this world filled with wretch, greedy for power. And he has taken advantage of that. Sasuke Uchiha is scum!"

Pure agony contorted Hinata's face. "I do not know of the man you speak of, Toneri-san. That is not who Sasuke is."

"I know I'm being rude but for some stranger, you sure are judgemental," said Sakura. Sasuke had tried to kill her many times but she will never call him scum. He was confused for the most part of his life. No one would know what they'd do if they walked in his shoes.

Naruto's eyes narrowed. "If you dare to call him that, why are you not here?"

"Huh?" asked Sakura. "What do you mean, Naruto?"

"Silence," Toneri commanded condescendingly. "Hinata, I will be back for you. By that time, I expect you to come with me."

"Hey, what makes you think you can say that?!" Naruto growled. "Hinata will never come with you. What are you blabbering about?"

"The moon will destroy the earth," Toneri replied, and just as he did, a glowing blaze of light flashed across the skies of Konoha.

"What the—"

"Only you, Byakugan Princess, shall be saved."

And Toneri disappeared into the dark of the night.

* * *

They looked upwards, their necks stretched out to follow the meteors' trail. Soon, another two appeared in the night sky with tails skittering like festival torches—only they announced doom.

"Naruto… It can't be, right?"

Sakura reached for Naruto's hand.

"What?" Naruto looked deep in thought. " _Oi oi_ , that looks really close."

Sakura stared blankly. "The Mangetsu no Kami."

The future hokage's eyes widened. "Sakura-chan, Hinata, stay here. I need to go see Kakashi. I'll strengthen the barrier to protect you. "

The women nodded. They headed back to the shed and held hands as they sat on the bench in the terrace.

It was awfully quiet. The flowers ceased to rustle since Naruto had made Sasuke's barrier thicker and more resistant that even bouts of strong winds would fail to pass through.

" _Ne,_ Sakura-san." Hinata's voice was low but the silence amplified it. "What is the Mangetsu no Kami?"

Sakura took a deep breath and held Hinata's hand more firmly. "Hnn… He's the one giving Sasuke a hard time."

"And he's Toneri-san."

"Uhh… I'm not quite sure but when I saw the meteors and when he mentioned the moon, I just had this strong grip—this strong feeling in my gut—and it wasn't my baby. I just felt that he could be the Mangetsu no Kami."

"And he said the moon will destroy the world and he wanted me to come with him."

"Uhh… yes. What are you thinking, Hinata?"

Hinata shook her head sideways. "It's nothing."

... _Byakugan Princess…_

A voice called out.

It wasn't Toneri. He had been the only one to call her that but it didn't sound young.

"Did you hear that, Sakura-san?" Hinata looked to her right, then to the opposite side. There was nobody else.

"What?"

Hinata shook her head. "Nothing."

Just then, another meteor appeared, its blaze brighter and bigger.

... _Byakugan Princess…_

Hinata couldn't be wrong. It was an elderly man's voice calling out to her but the person is nowhere to be seen.

つづく

* * *

Daifuku Mochiin Corner! 田

Once upon a time, there was a mochi pounded by a rabbit on the moon. As it hurts being a pounded sticky rice, it began to cry. Its tears turned to sake and the sake turned to crack. The crack fermented and became red bean paste. Then the sticky rice ate the red bean paste, which was crack that had been sake.

Then the sticky rice was filled. It turned to mochi. Fiction was born.

Lol.

Hello guys! Thank you for the reviews as always.

( * ) _What Kou saw Toneri do -_ _see what the first attacker said to Sasuke in Part V (after the flashbacks of war) just in case you haven't noticed. I was trying to establish the connection why Sasuke and Hinata had to part in the first place in Part IV._

Some vocabulary:

Yokai - supernatural beings in Japanese folklore

Hakkesho Kaiten - Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven (Say the translated version while facing the enemy)

I made a correction on Hanabi's thoughts in Cherry Blossom - Part II where she asked Toneri how do his puppets work. Instead of mere 'sealing' I changed it to 'juinjutsu' which is cursed sealing so as to distinguish the technique from the seals used to contain objects, living beings and chakra in scrolls and other vessels.

More about Toneri will be revealed in the next chapter where Hamura appears and Hiashi wakes up. Sasuke will appear towards the end, to be followed by the chapter which contains the climax. It will be a fight between men who idealized Hinata: one, to comfort his tormented soul, the other, to create an image of perfection in his mind, and in that perfection, what he perceived is love.

The end of it all is Sasuke's justification. Because love... is love xD

I'm a noob writer guys. I've never reached this point of my story. Please post questions so that I can rewrite things if ever that would make it clearer. I am living inside my head after all. What I thought was lucid might not be as clear as I intended it to be. Thank you for your patience:)

Also if you find errors, please point them out. I'll see what I can do. My human brain seems fuzzy nowadays.


	25. XXI

Meteors continued to fall and the risks had never been higher.

The council of the Five Kage ordered a massive evacuation across the Great Five Nations. Since then, monitoring parties spearheaded by each Kage were put in place, keeping a close watch over their respective aerial territories, while running discussions through communication channels with staff on high alert.

They wait for the moment the moon draws near the Earth's atmosphere, anticipation and adrenaline running thick in the air. Although the Raikage's Chakra Cannon is capable of blowing the moon to pieces, fragments produced from the explosion thereon still poses a great threat.

In three days, it will happen. The world will witness a thrillingly close encounter with its end.

Three days is the new estimated time of its impact. Scientists who previously declared a span of three months before the actual happening turned into nervous wreck employs when an unanticipated relevant deviation occurred in their astronomical observations. It was as if the force keeping the moon in its course had mercilessly ceased its hold. Implausible was the theory, utterly unsound, but the Earth's lone satellite, unfortunately, had this sudden urge to hasten its imminent destruction like a Shinobi on a suicide mission.

Inside Konoha's evacuation shelter were clans and families cuddled together, uncertain of what tomorrow holds, whether it would still come and they'd get to live another day with eyes set on the rising sun. It had been so sudden after all. The moon's threat was formerly not made public and before the meteors hit with alarming frequency, the regular citizens had thought they were pretty spectacles traversing the sky, though, news about destroyed small villages had rooted subtle fears in their hearts. They find grateful security in the fact that it hadn't been so affecting and the forces employed within the Great Five Villages are on a different level as compared to outside their borders. Some awaited the return of their members who were involved in the committee outside protecting Konoha against meteor impacts. It was fortunate that the shelter was well-maintained, stocked with rations to last thousands for days but fear was evident in their unrest, their murmurings swirling around the clustered rooms.

The Hyuuga who were supposed to be a bulwark of the village since at the time of its foundation, are unrepresented outside. Hinata is physically able despite her pregnancy and is more than willing to help but Naruto decided strongly against it saying she and Sakura can stay and tend to the injured in case of need. Her Shinobi instincts were screaming at her. The sense of duty imbued since she was a young girl was making her chest throb, sending prompts in her brain to do something contributory to Konoha's safety. But as she glanced at Hanabi—the younger Hyuuga blind and helpless, clad in a vividly colored _yukata_ with painted flames dancing on the hems—they cease, their simmering allayed.

Hanabi is still so young, fast becoming an impressively skilled Shinobi in her own right, but she'd be devastated when she wakes up. Pity clenched Hinata's heart and her only respite is soothing her belly with circling caresses, reminding herself with every stroke of a hand of the one she must never fail to protect.

Sakura's voice emerged from behind the whitewashed walls, comforting a group of troubled elderly people with assurances of people working hard to ensure the safety of the village—of Naruto watching over Konoha. Nervous gulps of hot tea boiling in the hallway proceeded intermittently over chatters in raspy, tiny voices mixed with Sakura's indulgent laughter. Hinata wished to know how to comfort her sister but no words came to mind. Hanabi is the Hyuuga clan heiress, yet she is without the Byakugan now.

Upon arriving home back from the Uchiha compound, Hinata found several injured men attended by the maids. Some parts of the outer veranda were smashed and burnt holes stabbed the shoji doors. Kou and her grandfather, along with other Hyuuga men had been sent to the hospital and soon as she heard, a massive evacuation was already set in place. She tried to stay calm throughout while she packed necessities until she remembered to call for her younger sister who instead of helping was nowhere to be found. After a frantic search of branch members scourging the whole village for the young heiress, in the most unlikely place, Hinata saw Hanabi inside her room, lying on her bed as if asleep. Hanabi's Byakugan had been skillfully taken out of its sockets and her lower lip, torn.

If Hanabi's chakra had been drained a bit further, it could've been lethal and she is yet to wake up about eleven hours past she was found. Hinata remembered almost fainting at the sight. It only got worse when upon her arrival at the evacuation shelter, the hospital staff led her to a separate room where her father was. Kou told her as he logy laid in bed—sedated with pain killers because he couldn't be tended to just yet—that it was all Toneri's doing, the same person who almost cost her father his life.

To Hinata, the village has always been her priority. Before her marriage, whatever was important to Naruto, she held it with great treasure in her heart. Her clan was subordinate. It wasn't that the value of family was negligible. Her father was always strong and infallible, Hanabi was the better heiress, the women reverently obeyed her grandmother and though Neji died, but when he was alive, he was this tireless, steadfast pillar of mettle in the house. No one was as reliable as him. The world didn't have to be about her but she had solely found great purpose in serving the village where she could be needed.

Matters are different now.

Necessity is not what drives her; it's not what propels the storm inside her. If only she could be more capable and more powerful, enough to protect the village and family without risking her son's life. All that shows is a placate veneer as she sat on a stool beside Hanabi's bed, opposite of which was their recovering father, but what she'd give to have such potency—the turmoil of her state, of not being able to do anything a mere firm grip on Hanabi's unconscious hand.

The small hand slightly moved and Hinata's breath rose in anticipation, preparing herself to be as calm as possible in explaining to Hanabi the current situation. The youngest Hyuuga slowly reached for her eyes, as if she already knew, tracing her fingers on the surface of the bandage, or maybe she was confirming it as she took a bated breath, her inward gasps in stops.

Then she cried like a child lost from its mother.

"Oh Hanabi," Hinata said, taking her sister's body into a hug, running soothing caresses on the young girl's back as she blinked back her tears. " _Sshhh_."

"It's gone! It's gone! It's gone!" Hanabi's arms dropped, unresponsive and hopeless.

Hinata saw Sakura peeked in from the door with eyes eager with concern above hands forming a mount over her mouth and she could only bite her lip as she loosely swivelled her head, looking back at the pink haired woman who turned to foggy vision. Sakura took a few steps back. The people resting near them turned their heads at Hanabi's outburst but none could truly understand.

To a Hyuuga, the Byakugan is not just _doujutsu_. It's an emblem of pride but with that pride is duty; the duty to protect the power vested solely upon their clan. The Byakugan is a great responsibility rested upon the shoulders of each Hyuuga; one that their ancestors had perceived the need of sealing family members in order to protect. However, Hanabi is not just any family member. She is the designated clan heiress but the burden had not been hers in the beginning. Hinata could feel her younger sister blame it all on herself upon the way her cries turned to silent screams, digging, hollowing her insides.

"Hanabi, stop crying," a voice interposed.

It was their grandmother but instead of the usual aloof on her face, she was misty-eyed and forlorn from where she stood at the entrance next to Sakura, the harsh wrinkles on her forehead and around her eyes made less severe.

The old woman walked closer to Hanabi's bed and her kimono rustled as she sat. Hanabi curled up in shame and the force of her grip on Hinata's hand was telling how deeply chagrined she was. Their grandmother placed her cold, bony fingers on top of the young girl's fist.

"There's nothing that we can do about it now. Stop crying over spilled milk."

She gazed at Hanabi's knuckles, sliding her old fingers on the hard skin.

"I am sorry, obaa-sama… for being such a disappointment." Hanabi spoke, her voice overwhelmed and barely able. It wasn't gentle. There was loathing, but this time, it wasn't for her grandmother.

Hinata opened her mouth to disprove Hanabi. That's not true. She was never a disappointment.

"No, no," Hisoka answered in clear enunciation. Her ashen lips bobbed before a wisp of air sneaked out of them. "It's not you, dear child."

Hisoka reached for Hinata's hand. Her thin forearm was like a wooden beam where the sleeve of her kimono hung loose and Hinata could feel goose bumps flaring on her skin where her grandmother's chilling touch grazed. She could remember as a child that the elderly woman always had cold hands, even now. But her palm, Hinata found, has a softness to it. The kind that goes unnoticed as she barely touches people.

"It is said, the older a person is, the wiser they become. Better. Sadly, I didn't. I always followed what I thought was proper, even at the expense of people's volition." Hisoka's coreless eyes, frosty off-white with grey smudging along its edges, became more delineated to Hinata as they lingered a bit longer at her. "But I was blind… You poor children. My granddaughters... The eldest without her husband. The husband mocked, incriminated… and the youngest, without the Byakugan. These unfortunate things happening to our family. I always try to think that everything is under control… but the truth stays at the back of my mind."

She modestly turned away, wiping her tears with a neatly pressed handkerchief.

"The truth is I am always overwhelmed that I cannot do the right thing, that I cannot lead people to do the right thing. And my incapacity has brought us great misfortune. At the cost of your eyes, Hanabi. What I did… trusting that young man was unforgivable."

Although Hanabi had her face buried on her knees, she gruffly said: "No, obaa-sama. It was all his doing. He used some mind controlling _jutsu_ on everyone. He told me he needed someone to introduce him to Hinata-nee and he used you. He also—" Her shoulders shook. "He was controlling ojii-sama!"

"But even so… it had all been me." Her eyes seemed to look at the wall behind Hinata or maybe to nothing in particular. "It was I who wanted Hinata to divorce the Uchiha. I even walked to the Hokage's office with my own two feet, imposed at the highest office of the village to press his seal on the divorce papers I prepared. The day after, I went back and the Hokage refused. I censured his leadership in front of his subordinates."

For the first time in her life, Hinata saw her grandmother slouch with her head in a semi-bow and there was something elegiac in the manner she did it. She wasn't asking for forgiveness and Hinata wasn't expecting her to, but her grandmother vaguely resembled a withering flower at that moment.

"They presented facts... Your husband was not involved in any of the heinous crimes associated to him by the rumours. But I didn't believe. Something—perhaps, a voice was telling me not to. That I should be more demanding about setting the two of you apart."

Hisoka paused, the curve of her mouth falling down irredeemably.

"No… It was all me. I can say with certainty. I am myself right now." She slid down the bed, brushing the fabric over her thighs to smoothen imaginary creases. "I shall go look after your grandfather."

Her grandmother's slow steady gait reminded Hinata of a majestic crane but the white _haori_ hung on her thin shoulders swayed like _teru teru bozu_ —ghost-looking dolls with painted smiles dangling outside windows to wish for rains to stop.

"Obaa-sama," Hinata called.

Hisoka's gray head tilted a bit. "Tend to your father when he wakes up."

* * *

It was moments later that Hiashi opened his eyes and no one noticed except Hinata.

"Otou-sama." Hinata poured water from a plastic bottle into a small cup. She hurried to his side and helped him up. "How are you feeling?"

He refreshed his dry throat with small sips of water. "Better. I've been awake long enough to know what happened." As he handed her the cup, Hiashi glared coldly at Hinata in forthright scrutiny. "I am relieved that you are safe. That Ootsutsuki's persistence was all just to get to you."

The cup's rim fell loudly on the table by Hiashi's bedside and she fumbled to keep it from falling to the floor.

"O-otou-sama, are you… are you saying Toneri-san is an Ootsutsuki just like that Kaguya?! A-and he did… he turned our family upside down b-because of me? I don't understand."

Hinata could feel her heart skip a beat, by leaps and bounds, from one side onto the other, falling helplessly midway down a chasm.

"Our early ancestors belonged with the brother of the Sage of the Six Paths, Ootsutsuki Hamura, who later dwelled on the moon. Though they do come to Earth from time to time, they had never interfered with the affairs of the Hyuuga. Until now. That man was seeking to be married to you." He minutely moved his head sideways. "No, seeking is too soft a word. He _insists_ on marrying you."

"B-but otou-sama, he knew I was married, didn't he? Even before he approached obaa-sama, he must've known." She had the urge to bite on her nails but stopped herself.

"He came to me first. Autumn the past year when Sasuke was away. As if by chance, he suddenly appeared. Puny. Meek. Cowardly. That was how he seemed. Oh, how wrong I was. He had the audacity to ask for your hand in marriage and talk about the end of the world, and fate and the Byakugan. Have mercy."

Hiashi winced as he tried to lay back down before it registered on Hinata's overwhelmed mind to help him back to bed.

As soon as he was comfortably positioned, he said, "I'm tired of this. Help me up."

Her father was always stubborn and even if she were to voice her protest he wouldn't listen anyways. Thankfully, a nurse approached Hiashi and told him they have to do some tests which irritated him and Hinata could clearly see it in the dark pleat between his brows.

After the nurses had finished he was given a wheelchair which he didn't want to use at first but yielded to the demands of his body when his legs wobbled before he could even get out of the improvised clinic. When Hinata offered to push, he declined with the dignified bidding of his hand. As Hinata understood, her father didn't want to be seen imposing on his pregnant daughter.

She followed behind him as his quivering hands pushed on the wheels to check on bedridden clansmen especially the trusted Kou. Afterwards, with a simmering anger on his face, he directed a course past the rooms. Hinata caught glimpses of Genta and Kou on their mother's lap and also Kurenai busy sorting supplies with some Genin and her young daughter clumsily rummaging piles of blanket, offering her help.

Hiashi stopped at the corner near a dump of boxes and tapped his hand on a monobloc chair, urging Hinata to sit. He didn't talk for a while and rubbed in between his eyes, a dark mark of a recovering burn on his left hand.

Hinata, knowing her father to be deep in thought, was silent herself, darting eyes at his direction every quarter of a minute as she waited for him to continue about Toneri.

"Min was some help." He snorted. "Pathetic."

Her father seemed angry at his guards who were with him to Suna and Hinata was sure that had they been there, the true words behind "pathetic" would make them wish they died fighting instead.

"If Sasuke had gone with me instead, things wouldn't have ended this way. The Ootsutsuki would've meet his end then and there. But that man's plans just succeeded… Terribly. It went terribly for us."

Hinata knew her father to value strength above all else. Because duty must be kept. It made her wonder if Hiashi only valued Sasuke's presence because of power.

"What were his motives?" asked Hinata.

"As I've said, he wanted you as his bride. Absurd!" Hiashi gripped strongly on the arm rests of the wheelchair, his knuckles turning white. "I clearly told him in spite of his threats to destroy the world, you will never love him as you love Sasuke. At first I thought that would remedy the issue but he did not understand.

"He approached me a second time and scorned me for consenting your marriage to Sasuke. I should've known then that he was more capable than he looks. He told me I was wrong. That you couldn't possibly love Sasuke and he will prove it. He's a peculiar fellow to begin with who spoke of paradoxical notions. Sasuke's mission had been part of his plan. And the rumors that came after, I knew they were his doing.

"A few days ago, he had the gall to ask if everything about Sasuke so far had not been enough proof that he is unworthy of you. I felt the injustice of his deeds and daringly attacked an Ootsutsuki but it worked against me. When I had come to, there was this incessant command in my mind to just walk, without stopping through the desert. Anywhere away from Konoha. To think that he did the same to your grandfather and grandmother. Shame that I am regressed to this state!"

If Hinata was in a keen state of mind, she would've told him to calm down but the questions kept flowing and she didn't know where to place herself.

First of all, her father never talked about love but after his ardent recount, it appears that he had defended her love for Sasuke. Secondly, she never knew her father could feel such passion for her and Sasuke's marriage. Is that something explainable by the fact that he has the spare key to Sasuke's shed?

"Otou-sama, I hope you don't mind me asking."

"What is it?" he replied, gruff hinted in his speech.

"I never thought you'd feel so strongly for Sasuke and me. Why?"

The scowl on his face mellowed out. He clasped his hands together and his head leaned slightly forward, thinking.

"I'm going back to rest." He reached for the wheels and trimmed his vehicle to the rooms.

Hinata blinked at his father's behaviour. That was unprecedented, almost juvenile. At the best of her understanding, she did not ask anything offensive.

"Otou-sama, wait."

The middle-aged man stopped as he tilted his head at her direction.

"I was just a bit curious, that's all. You even have a key to the shed in Sasuke's garden. I just don't understand why it's a secret."

What she said seemed to amuse him as he briefly chuckled even in the midst of a crisis-stricken citizenry. Glum infused the air but as he skimmed to her side, there was a youthful gleam in his cold, white orbs.

"So you already knew about that. I'm guessing Naruto. Sasuke worked hard to hide it from you." He glanced at her and did the most unexpected thing. Hiashi patted her shoulder for comfort. "I just felt relieved and grateful for him, in a way. I'm grateful towards you. That you made him fortunate. Because you've come to love him back."

Florescent lights clicked as they blinked when someone had switched the ones lining over the hallway. She can now see her father's face clearly, the crow's feet as he smiled.

"I believe it had been three years since then," Hiashi continued. "I saw him planting flowers and asked if it was for a woman. He answered in affirmative. It reminded me of my young self and the things I did."

Hinata wanly smiled. "I guess Sasuke reminded you of things you did for okaa-sama."

"Sasuke is very fortunate Hinata. Not many people are. He's fortunate that you inherited your mother's heart, who loved wholeheartedly without asking for anything in return. Even if others didn't do the same for her."

For some reason, she felt aversion from her father's statement. "What did you plant for okaa-san?" she asked.

A smirk tugged the corner of his lips and he had this peculiar expression in his eyes as he looked away.

"I never planted anything for her. And though it doesn't do well for any Shinobi to be as kind as she was—she wasn't a Shinobi in the first place, your grandmother favored her at first because she wasn't… I am proud that you're as kind as her and you worked hard to possess a strength of your own."

"You had an arranged marriage..." Hinata slowly said, finally connecting pieces together.

It seemed more earth-shattering than the falling meteors. Memories of her mother were vague but she could remember her always smiling, warmth seeming to percolate through her kimono which was always soft to touch and her elegant hands, how she'd remove her garden gloves and tenderly cup the growing tomatoes they planted and she'd refer to them as babies—how Hinata understood babies are endearing then. She was the most beautiful person.

"And it seems to me that you're saying… You didn't love her as you should have."

"I wasn't a good husband. That's why Sasuke is fortunate." He said it again but it wasn't clear to Hinata if he referred to Sasuke in comparison to him or her mother.

"I can't blame you if you think I'm a terrible father too."

"No, I never…" Hinata muttered.

They didn't have that sort of closeness. Hiashi has always been _otou-sama_. His love were thoughts like dust motes swept under the rug and at every stern look of his eyes, she'd sweep them further underneath.

That must be the reason why it took her so long to confess to Naruto. She didn't feel worthy of him—of who he was to her. Not until she felt she proved herself enough.

Love, then, was a thing she had to earn.

"Maybe I'd afford myself some of your pity, dear daughter. I remember I was seventeen and there were already talks in the clan about getting me a wife. But none of them really knew, that the heir—that their future clan head would… I planted cherry blossom saplings and looked after them for a few good months because someone asked me to. That person from another clan asked me to plant a row so there'd be a nice view come spring in front of somebody else's window. The three of us were a team and I did everything she'd ask even if I knew it was all for some…" Hiashi swung his head as if searching for the right word, uttering it with mild distaste, " _cantankerous_ fellow… Well, he was my friend. But I was always jealous of him… Funny that I can openly admit it now after he's long dead. And she." He paused at recall, pressing his lips together. "To me, no one was as stupendously determined as she was, possessing the sheer perspicacity that she had. And she was always wonderful. To me, that person was unforgettable no matter what."

Her father's words were familiar. In fact so familiar she could remember the bitter taste of grief. Naruto _was_ unforgettable too. "You can't forget her because you decided you won't forget her."

"That's why I told that Ootsutsuki. Love is not that simple. It's not always about being worthy."

"E-even if I don't know a lot about Sasuke-kun," she paused momentarily and thought, shame that that was the truth. "I… I never thought of whether I was worthy of him or if he was worthy of me." Hinata's voice wavered looking straight at her father because it was something she never did. "He made it simple for me. And I feel sorry for you. That okaa-san's heart couldn't get to you… Because I was sure she loved you."

The wheels made a sound like bones rested from work and Hiashi pulled over then move forward obliquely so he'd see Hinata without straining his neck.

"It was too late when I realized, Hinata. Back then, you can't expect anything from the Hyuuga. The women did everything out of duty, and that was all it was to me."

"Okaa-sama was kind and beautiful and smart." Hinata could feel her eyes burn. "… A-and caring, and." She was sure not running out of adjectives.

"Yes she was, and you possessed everything she had."

"She was perfect." Hinata brought her head low because her father just skilfully deviated the subject. It didn't matter what he thought of her and she could never be like her mother.

"And Sasuke loves those things about you… Only after he married you did I see the irony of it. You and Sasuke. What it meant to me."

* * *

Hinata couldn't get Hanabi to eat the spoonful of warm porridge she's been dabbing over the young girl's mouth. Hanabi didn't speak and just stayed huddled on the bed, drowning in a depressed state of mind.

Her mother's last words, she remembered, was to look after her younger sister and she was increasingly feeling useless. Hanabi wasn't a difficult child but at times like this, she realized that she isn't doing a very good job being a stand-in mother when she should be more than capable enough.

Deep inside, there's faint resignation emerging but she can't afford to submit to that sentiment. She thought of things to do and she had this idea that maybe, if she brought carefree children to Hanabi the smallish teenage girl would feel a bit happy.

"Onee-sama," Hanabi said flatly, not even caring to face where her elder sister stood with Genta and Ken, "I'm tired."

The cold voice that came out didn't even seem to belong to her but Hinata saw it as a slight progress. She hadn't heard anything from her since their grandmother left the room.

"Hinata-sama, what happened to Hanabi-sama?" asked Genta as he jumped up, his arms leaning against the bed. "Did she hurt her eyes?"

"Hanabi, it's just Genta-kun and Ken-kun."

"I said I'm tired!" She twisted and pounded her fists, scaring Genta who hid shaking behind Hinata's back. "Can't you understand?! Stop being _so_ annoying! Leave me alone!"

Genta was going to cry and his little brother tugged at Hinata's skirt sniffing with white beady eyes. She pressed Ken's head to her leg and whispered to Genta that Hanabi wasn't referring to him showing him her most tender smile. She lifted Ken into her arms.

"I'm sorry if I don't know what to do for you."

"I didn't—that's not what I—" Hanabi stuttered.

Hinata exited the room with the children, gazing at a far-off direction and her feet turned heavier with every step.

"Hinata-sama, why did Hanabi-sama get angry?" Genta asked, frowning as he held Hinata's hand.

"I'm sorry, Genta-kun. Hanabi snapped at you because of me. Please forgive me, okay?" She smiled sheepishly but she couldn't hide her sadness very well.

"I don't like Hanabi-sama anymore. She made you sad."

" _Nnn._ Hanabi… Hanabi wasn't really feeling well. Please don't hate her. There are times when sisters make each other sad. Isn't it the same for you?"

"No. Ken never made me sad. He only smiles at me."

Hinata made a slight giggle, peering at Ken in her arms who was sucking on his thumb. "What a good boy you are, Ken-kun. Your onii-san is very lucky to have you. Perhaps, it's the other way around? No?" Ken shook his head, teary doe eyes melting away some of her misery.

"I guess. I do make Ken sad sometimes," Genta answered. "Like when he cries because of me or when I scare him with spiders."

"You like spiders?"

Genta's bald head nodded.

"You're not scared of anything, are you?" Hinata beamed at him.

"Nope. I'm gonna be a powerful and strong Shinobi!" His small fists boxed furiously in the air. "That's why if anything scares you, Hinata-sama, just tell me in the future, okay?"

"Okay, I promise." Hinata let Ken down as they now stood in front of the room where the children's mother stayed. "You're also going to protect Ken-kun, right?"

"Un!" He nodded firmly. "I'm gonna protect him no matter what."

"Yes, indeed." She gently patted Genta's head. "No matter what."

The determination on Genta's face remained on her mind the whole evening, hoping that she'd come to wear the same face too.

* * *

The black circles around her eyes as she brushed her teeth reminded her of how Sasuke looked the last time they met.

"You're still here, Hinata?"

She turned around at the woman lodged, peeking in between the door.

"Kurenai-sensei, good evening."

"I'm actually switching off some lights now. You should hurry and rest, alright?"

" _Hai."_

"Just wondering." Kurenai moved close to her and whispered, "Why are there Hyuuga men outside the women's toilet?"

"Otou-sama…" It's difficult to try to explain what happened inside their clan. "He wanted to make sure I'm safe." He ordered a couple of able branch house Hyuuga to guard her closely, certain that Toneri would persist at taking her away.

"The shelter's security is tight plus we're under a mountain. What's he trying to protect you from? I feel that he's being a bit paranoid on this one." Kurenai shook her head. "I'm going ahead. I still have to check on other areas."

After rinsing, she briefly glanced at herself in the mirror while putting the toothbrush back into her satchel.

… _Byakugan Princess…_

Her eyes widened at the voice sounding like a whiff of air. She scanned her surroundings through the mirror. Just like all the other times it happened, there was nobody there.

Though the voice ceased, she wondered if it was it her tired, anxious mind slowly getting to her, when she's fighting hard against it, feeling as though submerged in water and she'd be paddling her arms and legs, desperately trying to keep herself afloat, her neck stiffening as she holds it up.

She lay on a futon she fixed for her self beside Hanabi's bed. The others in the improvised clinic were fast asleep and it's probably past midnight already but she was suddenly feeling so alone. Her father demanded to change rooms to where most of the Hyuuga were so he could easily talk with the elders.

Her mind swirled with thoughts of her deceased mother and her unrequited love, her father and his unrequited love, then Hanabi turning blind and her friends probably sleeping in turns outside just to protect the village—all at once. Then she thought about Sasuke and the last kiss they had.

She rearranged her pillow and lay back again.

Hinata touched her lips and tried to imagine him beside her.

It had been six months since they last shared a bed.

Come next month and it will be their first wedding anniversary.

The months they spent together can be counted with only one hand. Blaming it all on Toneri would not bring back the lost time and she hated herself more because she couldn't do anything about it. All she did was wait which was becoming harder to do especially at times like this.

Hinata let out a shaky sigh and dabbed her palms over wet eyelids, reminding herself that if she doesn't sleep, it will be harmful for the baby. She forced her eyes shut and made an unbreakable promise not to open them up again. Hinata focused on the sound of her breathtill it evened out and she could feel her senses beginning to shift relaxingly into a mode of slumber.

 _She opened her eyes into consciousness but the first thing she heard was an old man's voice._

" _Byakugan Princess…"_

 _Hinata lifted her gaze and there stood in front of her a robed being in the form of man but his skin was the color of pale clay. He has two small protrusions on his forehead resembling horns and though his face was crinkled with old age, his eyes sparkled candescent, glowing like white embers with strong blue hue like lighting which flickered and oscillated smoothly. His white robe and long white mane, which reached past his knees, overwhelmed his scrawny frame._

" _Byakugan Princess…"_

 _No words came out of Hinata's mouth. There was absence of strength at the column of her throat and all she could feel was the power surrounding the elderly man. Her hands quivered a bit and though she wasn't feeling threatened in anyway, her impulse was to activate her Byakugan which, much to her disappointment, seemed to be defunct at the moment._

" _Byakugan Princess," he called again, "No, in this lifetime, I should address you as yourself… Hinata Hyuuga."_

 _She tried to speak and her voice finally came out. "Who are you?"_

" _I am Hamura Ootsutsuki, kin and brother of the Sage of Six Paths."_

" _I-it's an honor to be graced with your presence." According to what her father said, she is now facing the first forefather of the Hyuuga Clan._

" _My will has called and appeared before you, to speak to you as you understand, because a great task must be accomplished no matter at what cost. My people had been led astray by their crooked ideals and the last of them is thoroughly set on destroying the world my brother created."_

 _Hamura turned and waved to his front where an image appeared, surrounding them._

 _Suddenly, Hinata was in a midst of a battlefield and as she looked to her right, there stood a horde raising a banner of a golden sun with rays like arrowheads spreading around it. In the front were rows of iron knights, soulless and armed, and standing behind them were people possessing Byakugan with brows taut in full concentration and their index and middle digits held out rigidly to the level of their chests like onmyouji casting away spirits._

 _Hinata looked to the other side and her eyes widened upon seeing their banner. She had seen it before. It's unmistakably the emblem engraved on Toneri's jewelry box that he was meaning to give her. And in the midst of a blind throng—for just like Toneri, they did not have eyes—on her left was a colossal glowing orb like the iris of an eye with a flower-shaped illumination at its core, mounted on intricate circular frames above a towering four-pillared structure, all of which made of gold. Then she saw the knights which Toneri had brought in the room of the women's council of elders. They were numerous and each held on their metal palms a ball of light similar to the light emitted from the glowing orb._

" _This is what happened to my people on the moon," Hamura said. "They hypocritically loathe wars waged on Earth when this war had almost wiped out every one of their kind."_

" _What brought this conflict, Hamura-san?"_

" _My will had witnessed the progression of events that led to this. It was ultimately because the branch house decided by themselves that it was my intention to make it our duty to judge the world my brother had spurred. They were overcome by greed after realizing that the Tenseigan," he pointed at the giant orb of light, "the energy vessel used for generations, had become powerful enough to destroy planets. The branch family was the Tenseigan's caretakers and because of their greed, they gained perverted sense that they could play gods."_

 _The surroundings suddenly darkened and as Hamura waved his hand again, Hinata found herself in the center of a grassy lawn. She looked at Hamura and asked:_

" _What does it have to do with someone like me, Hamura-san?"_

" _Hinata Hyuuga, what do you see?"_

 _She looked around her and at first she couldn't see anything except the endless grassy expanse fleeing into the blue sky horizon. But then later on, a water fall emerged and flowers began to grow. Where the waters pooled in the middle emerged a sheen stone platform where stone steps from three directions led. Her breath got caught in her throat when she saw a statue made of marble or ivory bearing a face so similar to hers._

" _My daughter… She is fondly called the Byakugan Princess."_

 _Hinata took two steps back in astonishment. She gulped a lump of burning spittle as she wrapped her arms around herself. Toneri called her Byakugan Princess because of the giant statue in front. More infuriating was the thought that people precious to her got hurt because of a mistaken identity she has nothing to do with._

" _The people on the moon loved my daughter who chose to stay behind in Earth because she couldn't bear to leave the people close to her heart. She loved them dearly. The poor more than the affluent; the helpless humans more than our own kind who could wield power unknown to man. My daughter also supported my brother's life mission of ninshu and it is for this reason that she was highly respected and beloved by the first dwellers of our kind—her image idealized to embody love._

" _Soon after my people began to forget what love is but they idealized it still, though, not truly knowing what it is. Perhaps it was because we lived in the moon, looking down to the Earth that deep in their hearts, they begin to feel this as well—that our kind was above everyone else. How they treasure notions of virtue and love and perfection. But over the millennium my will closely guards over the moon, none… there can never be any of it there. We were too distant, sequestered. Lofty but isolated."_

" _Hamura-san, this is a dream, am I correct?"_ _Hinata felt like pinching herself. There was too much information all at once._

" _This is my will speaking to you. A substantial remnant of my chakra resides in my will and it latched onto a meteor which fell to Earth so I could come to you. My hope lies in your answer, Hinata Hyuuga." Hamura's glowing eyes steeled. "Do you desire to stop the destruction of your world?"_

" _Yes."_

" _Then I have a mission for you. Do you unconditionally accept?"_

" _If it stops the meteors, I do, Hamura-san. But what does it take for me to do as you command? I don't have enough… And I'm pregnant. I cannot allow harm to befall my child."_

" _About the child in your womb, its chakra. I dearly know its chakra. After all, it grew with me in my mother's womb."_

" _You don't mean to say…"_

 _He reached out to touch her stomach._

" _Poor child. Your grief awakened its Sharingan. My brother awakened his own Sharingan at an age where we were already capable of intelligent thought. You must steadfastly guide this child to wield his power for the right just as my brother did. I will teach you a seal to make it safe."_

 _And then, with flashes of imagery and passage of thought, Hamura imparted knowledge to her._

Hinata breathed in sharply, her eyes wide to its full extent. Sweat drenched her back and chest. She panted and the pulse of blood raved thunderously inside her ears. She slowly got up but as she raised her hand to wipe her wet forehead, it subtly glowed with purple light, spreading across both her arms.

"It wasn't a dream." She really did accept Hamura's mission and receive his chakra. It flickered and bubbled inside her chakra pathways, the pulse and surge of power coming alive with every beat of her heart.

Remembering what Hamura taught her, she got out of the blanket and began executing the hand seals, step by step, her memory as guide. Then she laid chakra-coated palms flat on her swollen belly and it slowly diminished in size until it turned to what it once before she had the baby.

She couldn't feel her son anymore. The hint of warmth inside her, reminiscent of Sasuke's chakra, is gone and she suddenly felt a disturbing emptiness, a twinge of listless desolation like she's been severed. However, to protect the baby she needed to trust Hamura. The _jutsu_ sends the sealed in a dimension opposite her existence. The baby is inside her and at the same time, it is not. The Ootsutsuki women, accordingly, had used the technique to pass through the gateway of the Earth to the moon since it puts a great strain on their bodies.

She briefly marvelled at the renewed ease with which she got to her feet. Her maternity dress felt like it billowed out of her frame. She pulled the skirt above her knees but gave up on the idea finding it slovenly and she doesn't really have a choice because she didn't pack shorts or pants. Stealing isn't an option and borrowing… is a good idea but she doesn't know how to do that while explaining everything that happened without attracting too much attention. This will be the first time she's going on a mission in a dress—which didn't sound like a good idea. Well, it wouldn't count as stealing if she returned the pants later, right? It was for an important mission after all, she reasoned. A mission that is not sanctioned by Konoha.

Before she proceeded to steal someone's clothing—which she will absolutely return later on—Hinata climbed on Hanabi's bed and caressed the young girl's head repeatedly before placing a kiss.

"I can finally do something, Hanabi-chan," she whispered. "I will save everyone and get your eyes back." She gave her younger sister another kiss and just as she was getting off the bed, a small hand gripped her arm.

"Are you going somewhere?" Hanabi asked and Hinata couldn't see her face because she was lying the opposite side.

Hinata lay beside Hanabi, draping an arm over. "Yes."

They younger Hyuuga turned sharply and whispered with agitation. "Are you out of your mind?! You're pregnant, onee-sama! And just because I can't—" She stopped when Hinata pulled her hand and she was sure that what she felt was a stomach. "Where is the baby?" Her words sounded choked, beginning to cry.

"t's still here… but I sealed it."

"W-wha- Are you sure you're not kidding right now?"

"Hamura-san taught me."

"Who's that? Come to think of it, that evil bastard mentioned something about the will of Hamura. What is going on?"

"Ootsutsuki Hamura-san."

"Hinata-nee,"—Hanabi didn't whisper then—"I swear, stop this nonsense."

Hinata shushed her. There are Hyuuga guarding out the door. "Do you feel this?" She held Hanabi's hand and channelled a small amount of chakra.

"Hinata nee-sama… what…"

"It's amazing, isn't it?"

Hanabi nodded slowly. She turned speechless.

"The will of Hamura-san gave me its chakra and he gave me a mission to go to the moon. There is a portal in the Land of the Rivers which will lead me there."

"I am confused by a lot of things but why are you going now? Shouldn't you tell anyone about this first? I mean aside from me."

"There's no time," Hinata answered. "I must destroy the thing that Toneri-san is using to control the moon. Hamura-san revealed it to me but it is hidden in a secret place and I need to find it."

"You can't defeat him alone." Hanabi pursed her lips tight. "I hate to admit it but he's powerful, onee-sama. I hate him. He can read minds too,"—she halted, drawing a grimace before whispering again—"I hate him."

"Don't worry. Hamura-san told me about their ability to read minds. It won't work on me since I have his chakra."

"Still, you can't go by yourself, onee-sama. I won't let you. I know I said hurtful words but that doesn't really mean—"

"Wait. I hear something… I can feel it."

The sisters listened with bated breath at the nearing sounds of softly pattering footsteps and clanging metal on the floor alternating with squeaks like a raw twist of hard surfaces grinded against each other. Soon after, a green light illuminated overhead and Hinata slowly got up to turn and look at the source of it. A twinge of anger rushed when she saw his eyes.

"Byakugan Princess."

At the sound of the man's voice, Hanabi jerkily turned out, grabbed her pillow and threw it towards where she felt was the origin of the sound. The pillow couldn't even reach Toneri from where he stood by the door.

"Why are you here?!" Hanabi intentionally shouted at him to rouse attention. Much to her disappointment, nothing moved and nobody made a sound. "What did you do this time?!" She jostled against something invisible and Hinata held her back before she leads herself to fall off the bed.

"Greetings, heiress." The sisters could hear him swallow a lump. "I came here for the Byakugan Princess who is to be my bride."

"No one's coming with you! Why don't you just die, Toneri?!" Hanabi's voice turned hoarse, shuddering through heavy breaths. "Curse you! Curse you and your clan! May all of your family die so that you'll know what you did to me!"

Nothing made Hanabi like this and Hinata began to realize how betrayed her sister must've really felt.

"They are, heiress. All dead… I am alone."

The plain, honest way he said it like it was a natural truth made Toneri's words sting like pins pricking in the air and for a while no one said anything and all that could be heard was Hanabi's puffing who at that moment was too surprised to respond.

"I will go with you, Toneri-san," said Hinata.

"No, no, no!" Hanabi blindly grasped for Hinata and when her arms found her, she embraced her by the midriff. "No! Don't go Hinata-nee! I-I'm sorry if I said y-you were annoying." She was breaking down to tears. "I-I'm s-sorry for all the times I upset you. P-Please…" Hanabi squeezed tighter and Hinata found it a slightly difficult to breathe. "You can't. Don't leave, Hinata nee-sama…"

"Hanabi, this is something I chose to do. I do not go back on my word. This is my _nindou._ "

"You're always like this!" She shook Hinata's torso with crippling assertiveness, not caring if snot had ran down her nose as she looked up. "You don't have to do this. You don't always have to obey rules and duty and _nindou…_ Just this once, don't. Please, I beg."

When Hinata didn't respond, she whimpered despondently that it almost sounded like a high squeal. "Hinata nee-sama-a-aa…" The Hyuuga heiress bellowed, her open mouth pressed hard on Hinata's dress. "Haaaa-a-a—"

Hinata could feel the dampness from her sister's wet bandage and saliva. She bit on her lip trying her best not to laugh. It's the first time she saw Hanabi acting like a total baby and she found it very cute. Too bad it'll have to end shortly.

Hinata hit Hanabi's vital chakra points and the teenager's body turned limp in an instant. "I will go with you but on one condition. Return Hanabi's eyes."

"I cannot do that, Hinata. I merely await the third pulsation and by then, the Byakugan is completely transformed into the Tenseigan." His eyes widened when Hinata began removing her right eyeball and offered it to him as dark red blood trickled down her cheek.

"Byakugan Princess, I can't possibly…"

"Accept mine in exchange for my sister's. I will heal your eyes."

Only Toneri can lead her to where the Tenseigan, the energy vessel, is located. Her plan has changed but she will stop at nothing to accomplish her mission.

"Heal my eyes?" He walked closer to her and on his face was a gentle smile. "How it gladdens me, Hinata, that in time we were apart, you have learned to love me," said Toneri.

* * *

•••

* * *

Hanabi shook awake and she knew instinctively that something was very wrong. She could open her eyes and as she got up, she could see the dim lights left open inside the clinic. She looked around and saw other patients but Hinata wasn't beside her and her heart began to pound loudly. Her Byakugan activated and she frantically tumbled out of bed, almost stumbling on another patient when her foot slipped on the futon which glided upon the concrete floor. Hinata isn't anywhere. She ran down the hallways, running into one dead end after another because she couldn't thinking clearly then.

Hinata had gone with Toneri.

"Hey, are you okay?" asked a stranger who was probably guarding the shelter's entrance. "Do you need a medic?"

She didn't notice herself hyperventilating. Hanabi gripped on her chest as she shoved against the door.

"Hey!"

She ran on bare feet towards the mouth of the mountain, following where the stony path would lead her and though the guards were calling as they chased after, she just went straight ahead until she could see the lurid stars glaring against the perilous night sky.

Stones and gravel scraped her skin and the roots of the trees bumped against her toes. Her bones drummed hard on the cold, mossy ground but she didn't care anymore because there was no trace of Hinata anywhere.

"Where are you going? Hinata's sister."

She looked up and the canopy loomed in monstrous, somber silhouettes. Hanabi licked her coarse lips upon seeing Sai from the Yamanaka clan, running a quick judgement whether he'd be help or hindrance.

"Sai-san, did…"-she took a moment to catch her breath-"did you see Hinata-nee?"

In a flash, he landed in front of her from where he perched. "No. You should be in the shelter."

"How could you have not seen her?!" She shouted at a mere acquaintance but she didn't care anymore. "Toneri took her! He's got puppets and I'm sure he passed the borders! How could you have not known?!" She paced back and forth with a hand against her forehead. "What were you guards doing?! Huh?!" Hanabi growled, showing her grinding teeth.

Sai cocked his head and asked: "Hinata was taken?"

It irritated Hanabi that the dark haired man was utterly calm when Hinata is missing. "You know what, make yourself useful and help me go beyond the border," she imposed, trying to intimidate the tepid person as she balled her fists on her hips.

"No. We must report to the Hokage first."

"You can fly right?" She glared deviously at Sai, aggressively tugging at his turtleneck. "Help. Me. Find. Hinata-nee. Do as I say, or else…"

"You are aware that there are meteors, right? If someone took Hinata, we must tell the Hokage before making a move."

She immediately released her hold and crouched in front of him, sinking a loud sham of a cry in the cradle of her arms. "You don't understand… Someone took Hinata-nee and you won't help me. You heartless!"

Sai sat at her level observing her for quite some time. "I know you understand that there are protocols. It's not safe for you to be out here." He noticed that she went out without shoes on.

She sniffed a couple of times before a sigh escaped her lips.

"I'm done with child's play."

In a brisk instant, she stood up with a firm expression in her eyes. "Sai-san, an enemy took Hinata nee-sama and I plead earnestly for your help. You know she is pregnant… Even as we speak, I do not know what is happening to her. And I won't forgive myself if she is harmed in any way. Every Shinobi has someone they must protect no matter the cost. You understand me, don't you?"

* * *

They rode on Sai's chakra-infused ink drawing bird and flew past thick forests. Hanabi sought for any signs of movement, and wherever her Byakugan strayed, she couldn't find Hinata or Toneri and his Knights.

"I must've been unconscious for too long." She spoke calmly but fear was scrambling her insides. "Wait… Hinata nee-sama said something about a portal in the Land of Rivers."

Just then, a bright orange light trailed above them.

"It's another meteor," Sai muttered.

"Let's head to the Land of Rivers! As fast as you can, Sai-san!"

For some reason, Sai couldn't say no to Hinata's younger sister. Her eyes glinted against the dark and her presence overwhelms her smallness.

"Alright. Hold tight."

Her hair flung away as they sped up to their destination and even if her eyes were closed, her Byakugan continued to scan the surroundings and she strained it more and she could feel the skin on her cheeks puckering at the weight of swollen nerves underneath it. She focused all of her chakra to her eyes to widen the scope of her vision, way past her capacity that it began to hurt. Hanabi felt a jolt of pain in her head and steadied herself with her arms.

"There!" she cried as she caught a glimpse of Toneri's puppets but then they were disappearing to where they walked in and her Byakugan couldn't see past that area.

"Hurry before it's too late!" She was betting on the chance that the puppets always went where he goes so the possibility of Hinata still within reach is high.

* * *

•••

* * *

Sai's _jutsu_ glided smoothly and soon as he landed, Hanabi jumped off without hesitation and headed straight inside a small cave. He tried to call to her but she didn't seem to have heard. He looked around, trying to get a feel of the surroundings before following inside. There was a glimmer of light up ahead but it was gradually getting darker and he saw Hanabi jumped down. Then, it became totally dark. He blinked a few times before he got accustomed to the lack of light, his hearing and other senses made more acute to compensate for his lack of vision.

"Are you there?" he asked, his voice echoing throughout the whole cave. Bats. He could hear some wings flapping coupled with bat noises—he could also tell from the smell of feces. There was no response but then he knew Hanabi was there. He heard her sniffling.

"What's the matter?"

She groaned and soon after, Sai could hear the sound of rocks slipping down. Hanabi was climbing up and he began to feel her presence more clearly, the outline of her form emerging a shadow from what seemed to be a dried up underground river. She staggered.

"I couldn't catch up to them… They're… The portal disappeared."

She rubbed her face with her arms and Sai wasn't really sure what to do at that point because Hinata's sister was beginning to cry for real with her body hunched, sauntering in despair.

"It disappeared…"

Sai didn't need to see to tell that the young girl's eyes were red with grief. Gone was the heiress of the Hyuuga clan with the air of authority.

"Hinata-nee…"

Her arms swung lifelessly in front of her; her legs tottered with every step. Sai perceived that instant as an expression of someone who just lost their soul. Hanabi stumbled and a muffled clang was heard.

Sai neared her but she immediately sat up fumbling on her sleeves. He watched her energetically rummaged inside her sleeves dropping hidden weapons carelessly on the cave's floor.

She gasped. Hanabi held two metal rods and looked at him.

"The meat skewers!"

It baffled Sai how some skewers would help with the situation at hand. They should head back to Konoha immediately and ask for help. That was what they should've done in the first place.

"Stand back," Hanabi said and Sai didn't really know what's going to happen but he followed anyway. Much to his astonishment, Hanabi pierced her forearm with the rod, grunting painfully as she did.

"What are you doing?!" The former Root Anbu swore he could hear perturbation in his usual nonchalant voice. Small girls shouldn't skewer themselves so easily like that.

"Stand back," the Hyuuga heiress reiterated. Sai could see her form familiar hand signs.

Slapping her hand heavily on the harsh, rocky floor, Hanabi said in a half shout: " _Kuchiyose no Jutsu!_ "

Her left eye dazzled with a burst of sharp purple piercing the darkness.

Tremors rattled the ground and Sai spread his feet to maintain balance. The disturbed bats lammed out and screeched when thunder boomed and Sai shielded his eyes when a billow of smoke jolted out of nowhere. As the cloud dissipated, there was a figure of a man whose equally flaring violet sclera irrepressibly unnerved.

Hanabi clutched bloody hands at the man's cloak from where she kneeled.

"Sasuke nii-san, nee-sama is… nee-sama is gone!"

つづく

* * *

Daifuku Mochiin Corner! 田

Can People Without Eyeballs Cry? 

I researched and the answer is yes, as long as the tear ducts aren't damaged.

Hiashi's Old One-Sided Love

 _See Red Poppies-Part II and Bosom Carnations-Part VII (Sasuke and Hiashi's scene)._ Some of you might wonder why I disturbed Hinata with this instead of focusing on defeating Toneri. There are things after the climax which I have to set up.

Toneri's Powers

I don't really want to put everything here but on his mind reading jutsu, canon anime demonstrated it in a different manner. He could read minds only by using his green orb of light but in FLGW, I modified it to a jutsu which he can use as he desired so as long as you trust him, like how conmen are able to con people, and you didn't have Hamura's pure chakra, because Hamura is a superior being than Toneri. I don't know why he was able to read Sasuke's mind and I don't want to admit it's a plot hole so let's just say that our beloved Uchiha got severely depressed, mulling over how he misses his wife and didn't keep his thoughts guarded. Or, since Hagoromo took his Yin chakra back from when he gave it to Sasuke during the war in canon, let's just assume that Sasuke's chakra isn't really inferior or superior to Toneri's, the last of the Ootustsuki on the moon. He is also capable of breaching the security in Konoha. The Ootsutsuki are like celestial beings and though Toneri's powers weren't extensively discussed in the movie, the fact that he's the last one standing is telling something.

Sasuke and Hinata's son

I would like to credit guest reviewer 'Yvonne Parks' for their speculation. I used it in FLGW! I borrowed their idea. Though Sasuke's chakra isn't really Hagoromo's per se, I guess it's identical in a way since Sasuke is Hagoromo's son, Indra's re-embodiment.

The Tenseigan

From canon, Tenseigan is Hamura's doujutsu just like his brother was the originator of the Sharingan. In The Last: Naruto Movie, the Ootsutsuki on the moon kept Hamura's Tenseigan like a treasure and enshrined it into a religious object. The Energy Vessel which is also called the Tenseigan contained Hamura's Tenseigan eyes in its core along with the Byakugan of the Ootsutsuki Branch Family. Toneri experienced a series of pulsations in his eyes before it turned to Tenseigan.

Hanabi's Meat Skewers

They are actually Black Receivers which are peculiar to those with Rinnegan. We see them used by Madara, Obito and most notably, Nagato through the Six Paths of Pain with their eye-catching piercing throughout their bodies. What it basically does is to act as "high-frequency chakra demodulators, allowing users to transmit their chakra into these receivers, and by extension, into those whom the receivers have been embedded in." (fandom. wikia. com)

Six Path Powers

Sasuke didn't really use all the six paths in canon anime. Through the Deva Path, Sasuke in canon anime (which I also used in FLGW) used Chibaku Tensei to trap the Tailed Beasts. There's also the Animal Path which enables the Rinnegan user to summon any animal or human. There is no need for summoning contracts since the animal summons are usually under the total control of the user. In FLGW, Hanabi was able to perform the Animal Path by receiving Sasuke's chakra, and summoned him using a summoning contract. She wasn't in any way under Sasuke's control just like the Animal Path of Pain was. Other details will be revealed in the next chapter,

… which will be posted most probably January next year. Help my singularity—that is in quantity.


	26. XXII

_The spring that came was unlike any other._

… _Cherry blossoms were punctual as expected, blazing with subtle pink conflagration all of Konohagakure. Birds that migrated from far north came with a precise schedule, chirping along the swish of the leaves in the breeze on tree branches. Warmth began to seep on the grass and cold toes as the villagers have always known, from the time they sucked their thumbs on quilted cribs to being full-fledged Shinobi serving the village._

… _In the Hyuuga main family compound, the child who used to spar with her cousin is now a woman sitting alone on the engawa with her bulging stomach a clear indication of_ _motherhood._

... _When they were much younger and Hinata took time to play with Hanabi, spring was the time for scooping tiny frog eggs, picking flowers, or fishing for tadpoles with a wooden stick, a yarn for the line and, smooth oblong stones for sinker. Their father's Zen garden had the most perfect stones and Hinata made it a duty to keep her stubborn, pilfering younger sister away from trouble. While certain of her rights and privileges even before she could write legible_ _kana, Hanabi's obedience cultivated from a sense of having found the paragon of a good Shinobi in Hinata._

 _... Yet, that spring, the remoteness of Hinata's motivations was a far cry from the ideal Shinobi._

 _... She turned stale without_ _the usual zeal and curiosity for learning._

… _As much as staleness is worthy of chastisement, Hanabi sees in Hinata the beauty of forbearance. Though her smiles and creepy giggles turned to tears, and her husband's name bring sadness to her eyes instead of sparkling glee cast against lilac white blankness, something is growing inside_ _Hinata;_ _something tender and calm and moving—a precious thing born o_ _ut of love._

… _As Hanabi traversed the lush verdure of Hi no Kuni with her team to the dry, dreary, endless sand horizons of Kaze no Kuni, she thought of things born out of lov_ _e. W_ _hether such love was comparable to a cloud or was it akin to the sky itself; whether it comes in season like the greenery of Konoha, blooms breathtakingly like the cherry blossoms, and every so slowly turns to mere memory, flashes of fluttering warmth at the pit of the stomach at every petal falling until all is spilled out and scattered about, exhausted and desolate, and ultimately transformed into a form of desertification where only spikes and thorns flourish, where water was a doleful deficit that the earth needed to be excavated and bled out only to have wetted the lips of dry, thirsty mouths._

… _In Yardang Village, north of Sunagakure, the sun burned hotter and sands grated painfully on the skin. Hanabi's team was tasked to represent Konohagakure's assistance in working with Sunagakure's restoration and improvement efforts in Kaze no Kuni._

 _... During the second night of their stay, just as the water route for Yardang Village was progressing as planned, a_ _bright red-orange light glared speedily across the black starry sky with a trail of fire._

 _... The villagers began to weep, running for their lives as the heat of the meteor descended right above the village. All eyes were fixed on the destructive ball of fire when just as it was crashing fast on the ground, a bundle of terrifying lighting zapped and the solid mass crackled and fissured. In a blink, the humongous burning rock crumbled into small pieces mid-air._

… _The morning after, no one knew what convened the miracle. Fistful clumps of meteoroid residues swept off the villagers' roofs, mixing with sand on the streets were the only reminder of the fiery nightmare._

 _... On the third night, as her teammates were asleep and Hanabi had lookout duty, Sasuke appeared. She never expected him. It was like seeing a ghost. While he roamed the desert wearing a set of filthy, indiscernible rags, Hinata wept at home, waiting for a criminal putatively on the_ _run._

… " _Well, well, well," Hanabi said after following Sasuke a good distance away from her team's camp. "If it isn't my Uchiha_ brother-in-law."

… _Sasuke was his same reticent self and though he didn't engage in any form of drabble, he finally asked, "How are you?"_

… " _Don't take me for a fool, Uchiha." Hanabi is reprimanded every time she calls him like so, but it didn't matter anymore. "It doesn't need a half-wit to realize I'm on lookout duty. Don't waste my time with questions we both know you're not interested in."_

… " _How's Hinata?" Sasuke's deportment reflected his melancholy. The slump of his shoulders in place of ruthless confidence. The pleat in between his brows a contemplation of wistful suffering in place of seething anger and vengeful wrath._

… _Standing in front of Hanabi was not the Uchiha who defected the village to serve a great serpentine traitor in order to kill his own brother. This was not the bearing of a man who, three years ago, had so haughtily dared to vanquish all the Five Kage. Before Hanabi was a man whose crimes has now come to weigh heavily on his shoulders, past the point of endurance._

… " _If you're really curious," she replied, not taking to heart the observations demanding sympathy, "Go back to Konoha and see her, then atone for your crimes. Everyone knows what you've been doing. Plundering villages and taking people captives for chakra, you loathsome man! Do you even know what it does to Hinata nee-sama? She was better off not knowing you, ever."_

… _T_ _he hidden moon lurking over the Yardang Village dyed his back silver as he_ _moved a few steps away from Hanabi._ " _We perceive the same thing. But guilty as I am of crimes, it was not I who siphoned chakra from those people. It is all part of an elaborate set-up. Against me."_

… " _What are you talking about? An enemy?"_

… " _Aa. Someone unknown. I need you to protect Hinata. The enemy is powerful. He's hell-bent on bringing all these atrocities at my recompense. I need you to make sure that Hinata will be safe."_

… " _I don't need to hear that from you."_ _Hanabi folded her arms, circling Sasuke with smug derision. "I will always protect Hinata nee-sama without you telling me."_

… " _One more thing. Form a summon contract with me."_

… " _You don't mean…" For a moment, the Hyuuga heiress thought she heard wrong. "Are you kidding me?! Why would I ever want an Uchiha summon?!" She snappishly Byakugan-checked her teammates inside sleeping bags by the campfire. Thankfully, she didn't wake them up. "Are you out of your mind, person?" she lowly hissed._

… " _I sincerely ask this of you." Sasuke, unbelievable as it was subtle, looked like he was going to cry._ _"I_ _f it so happens that Hinata is in grave danger…"_

… " _Are you insulting the Hyuuga by implying we don't have power among our ranks to protect my sister? That I'm a Shinobi whose prowess demand your aid?" She let the question hang in the air and after deciding she had bullied him enough, she said: "Fine. But keep this in mind, Uchiha: You will not be needed."_

… _After the contract was sealed with Hanabi's blood, it dissolved to smoke with a pop and her brother-in-law held out a handful of black metal screw-shaped thingamajigs._

… " _Um, why are you giving me that?" She snooted at the tiny sharp objects._

… " _These are black receivers. Part of my chakra will be transferred to you and through the Six Paths, you will be able to summon me without any problems. Using space-time jutsu to open portals though not beyond me is still impractical at this point. I need your help."_

… " _Wait. Am I thinking correctly? Is the reason why they're sharp…?"_

… " _These are made of the same piercings used by Pain."_

… " _No way am I wearing those_ uglies _, Uchiha. The summoning contract was asking for too much, and now this? No way. You are officially psychotic in my eyes."_

… " _You need to. Otherwise, it won't work."_

… " _First of all, I'm not wearing those. They're hideous. Do I look like some Pain wannabe? I don't think so. Second, did it ever occur to you that those… torture devices are way too eye-catching? Onee-sama would be like 'Hanabi-chan why do you have horrid, black piercings on your face?' and I'd be like, 'Oh, I got them from your husband who says he wants to protect you and hide from you at the same time!' Splendid, Uchiha. Brilliant thinking. I am in awe."_

… " _I was thinking underneath your arms, hidden under your sleeves. Chakra needs to be pooled in your hands for a successful summoning technique."_

… _. Hanabi's waspish scowl persisted, not shifting her stance in the argument._

… _Sasuke suspired_ , _his breath forming mist in the cold wind_ _as hints of mild irritation creased between his brows at a_ _nother set of black devices grew from his hands, this time, in the shape of two handy thin rods._ " _Here. You don't have to wear it but keep it with you at all times."_

… _Hanabi sneered in disgust. "_ _Believe me. The time I'll stab myself with these is the time I'll call you nii-san sincerely and with respect, which by the way, if you're not yet clear about it, is never. Never going to happen."_

"Sasuke nii-san, nee-sama is… nee-sama is gone!"

"Hanabi, what happened?" Sasuke hunkered down, his gaze a tense, harried expression.

"Nee-sama… nee-sama…" Hanabi mumbled, her jaws feeling paralyzed and overwhelmed. Tears were welling-up and she did not know what overcame her. Just awash with utter relief. "Nee-sama…"

Hanabi never entertained the notion of ever using Sasuke's black devices.

That was until her grandfather called Sasuke scum and she thought of using the black devices as proof of Sasuke's noble intentions.

Sasuke's character is overshadowed by his past crimes and besmirched reputation, but Hanabi believed in their love—mawkish as the thought may be—that even separated by distance and circumstance, Hinata patiently waits for him and though Sasuke chose to fight alone, he always has Hinata in mind.

Apart from Sasuke himself, Hanabi found their marriage to be an effulgent state of things, and perhaps it is with that perception that brought her to the present.

"I'm taking a peek at your memories," Sasuke said, and before his statement could impress on Hanabi's mind, he used the Sharingan to probe in.

Time shortly stopped for Hanabi, her Byakugan eyes lifeless for a still moment.

"W-what did you…?" Hanabi glared accusingly, eyes dilated with shock at the infringement of her privacy. "D-did y-you just…?"

"Toneri," he muttered with sheer malevolence as he looked towards the direction of the dark crater, two points of his face glaring red and deep purple. "I only peered in as needed. People have things they don't want seen."

He stood by the edge, stones and gravel crunching underneath his sandals. Hanabi watched the man in survey as he poured chakra on the chasm, diffusing a marbled blue, black, and purplish glow.

The portal resuscitated—pulsed—and was reopened; the light turning into a rich, luminous green.

"I see," Sasuke calmly remarked as though opening portals were akin to solving dreadful maths.

"It's back!" Hanabi ran towards the river portal but she was immediately blocked by Sasuke's arm. "What are you doing? I'm saving Hinata nee-sama."

"No." His eyes were fixed on the gleaming water and the light green illumination made his complexion a ghostly pale burn. "You fought him. You know his strength surpasses yours."

"But—"

"Sai," Sasuke called out.

Sai stepped into visibility. "What is it?"

"Bring Hanabi back to Konoha and have her seek medical attention."

Hanabi became fully aware of her numb bleeding arms with the black devices still lodged deeply into the bone and muscle. "But I have to go to Hinata nee-sama! I can't just sit and wait!"

"Inform Naruto, Kakashi, and Hiashi-san of the situation. Only you can fill them in on the details." Sasuke gripped her shoulders tight. "I'll get her back."

Hanabi didn't retaliate. He jumped into the radiating liquid abyss with an unreadable expression, the blankness of his brightly glaring eyes unshuttering as he sank and disappeared deep under the water.

She came to realize why Uchiha Sasuke is to be feared.

* * *

Sweet smelling fragrances suffused Toneri's palace garden. Luxurious flowers in all sorts of colors and sizes adorned every corner. Behind the palace were fruit orchards seeming to span as far as Hinata could see with her newfound vision.

Despite of these grandiose presentments surrounding Toneri's world there is something artificial and contrived.

No birds sang. No beetles and tiny moths splotched the leaves and flower petals with blight of imperfection.

The ceramic puppets aptly dressed as palace gardeners pollinated the flowers with a peculiar plumb cone implement and though it wasn't the natural process, it did not fail to grant abundant, visually pleasing yield—that is, if only her chakra-aided vision could show the gardens with more definition.

Colors are lackluster, though not in the way that Hinata becomes utterly unable to discern which shade, tint, or hue, but it's as if there's a constant sepia monotone filtering the mental imagery passing off as perception; as if the breath-taking splendor of the towering bush ball sculptures—in the shape of planets as Toneri had puerilely informed her—the likeness of irises, roses, and lily-of-the-valley draping exquisite marble columns and carpeting the grassy floor like soft, silky fleece on her toes, are being fitted into a small window or a photograph. Toneri told her and Hanabi once that he could see clearly. Now she knew he really never did.

"Toneri-san, how does your eyes feel?"

Hinata healed him completely just before they travelled to the portal. If she left it halfway done, it might raise suspicions as to her true intentions in going with him.

They walked side by side as he led her to the palace library. He opened the tall door with intricate golden carvings, smiling gently as he always did like he knew she would like it.

"They have never been better, Byakugan Princess. It is all because of your kindness."

She entered the room and marvelled at the golden high ceiling embedded with thousands of precious gems forming a lotus pattern. Numerous tomes were lined neatly on the wall atop high and low shelves with edges curling like fern fronds. On the other side, placed obliquely from the door was a green couch near a hearth heated with light, facing a huge, stained glass window, overlooking a portion of the fruit orchards.

"That is my favorite place to read," Toneri said, lightly waving his hand towards the green couch. He picked the lavender-colored volume on the seat with jittery hands and a bit of blush on his cheeks. "This is a book that I dearly love…" He slowly handed the thick book to Hinata who found it lighter than she initially thought. "It is about you, Byakugan Princess."

Her fingers skimmed across the old pages like onion skin. She couldn't read the writings but contained in its pages were beautiful paintings of a woman with her face and pale lilac eyes, pinkish cheeks, and long dark hair reaching past her feet, sweeping long on the ground. She was depicted with flowers sprouting where the tips of her locks abut, or with joyful children encircling, or with a bird perched on her graceful fingers and beasts like foxes and lions gazing intently from her feet. The pictures varied but one noticeable, uncanny singularity is the unchanging smile on her face. A gentle smile that felt as integral as the Byakugan Princess herself, as though a picture without that permanent smile ceases to be a representation of her persona.

"What does it say?" She was looking at a spread with the Byakugan Princess sitting with lions and foxes. Arcane glyphs were scrawled like a poem beside it.

Toneri looked over her shoulder, leaning closer than what was appropriate to her liking. "Thy kindness tames the vicious, vile poisonous fangs are softened, wrath purified at thy fingers' benevolence."

Hinata closed the book and handed it cautiously to Toneri.

"My ancestors wrote beautiful prose and poems for you, Byakugan Princess. I can't wait for you learn our language and read for yourself their gift in words which made my heart grow in fondness for you." He took her hand and Hinata, with a sleight of her own, managed to slip off his fingers, pretending to innocuously smoothen tangles of her hair.

"I-is there some place else, you'd like to show me, Toneri-san?"

He suddenly placed his unoccupied palm on her lower back and she held tense breath at his proximity and turned her face slightly to the side when he whispered close to her ear: "There is. I am certain that you'd be delighted, Hinata. Come with me."

Toneri prodded her to a secret door camouflaged into the golden walls. He gracefully slipped the book to one of the nearest shelves before twisting a repeating floral pattern on the wall. It lead to a dark narrow hall. She minutely hesitated but he didn't give her time to think when he closed the door. She fisted her skirt, hyper-aware of the danger lurking without vision—something she is not used to—but then, luminous stones splayed the walls like an infinite pathway of stars and Hinata was reminded of the time she and Sasuke sailed down Naka no Kawa.

It took her breath away. "It's beautiful."

It was a wonder how the glowing stones could elicit such strong feelings from her; that in spite of the unsettling discomfort—the heat from Toneri firm hand on her lower back—she could blink back bittersweet tears hoping soon, after all the difficulties are over, just like at that time, she could be there for Sasuke, tenderly holding onto pieces of his heart he entrusts her with.

"These are moonstones. I am glad that you find them exquisite. We are similar in that way. But what I really want to show you is what lies behind the end."

When the starry darkness parted and gave way to light, Hinata was halted in her steps.

"Is something the matter, Hinata?" asked Toneri, his Byakugan eyes reflecting mild concern.

"N-nothing… W-what is this place?" She knew what it was. Hamura had showed it to her.

In the middle of the colossal glass dome surrounded by a vista of clouds stood the Byakugan Princess' statue clothed with silks cascading down. The susurrate crystalline waterfalls richly oozed behind from a primeval ore making the long robes wet. White flowers with a strong, sweet smell that made Hinata slightly dizzy grew all around.

"I remember as a child, the first time my father patted me on the head was when I offered the first fruits from my small orchard. I could only manipulate three puppets at that time but nonetheless, I was able to perform something only my father did." Toneri showed a happy reminiscent expression on his face. "The fruits did rot but ever since that day I have always looked after the Byakugan Princess." He turned to look at Hinata and slowly reached out his hand to caress her cheek. She averted his gaze. "Do you know how much happiness I felt when you accepted my gifts? It was such a satisfying sensation that I have felt. You are always unable to receive food that cooking for you and being able to witness you partake was an honor my ancestors can only dream of."

She sauntered up to the stone steps leading to the staggering ivory white statue of the Byakugan Princess and gazed at the sky in anticipation of something Hamura had showed her in the dream after she accepted his mission.

"Toneri-kun, now that you have my eyes, do you see any better?"

"What might you be pertaining to, Hinata?"

"Do you see the flowers more clearly? The colors more vividly you could taste it on your tongue?" And she, a humble Shinobi of Konohagakure in a maternity dress.

He innocently smiled like he wasn't planning on destroying the Earth. "Your bestowal of the Byakugan to me is an absolute delight, serving only to prove that we are indeed, one in purpose. And they give me the same clear vision I have when using chakra. I see the palace in the complete perfect state just as I have prepared for your coming."

Suddenly, as the clouds above slowly shifted, a floating mass of land emerged with a grand old mosque erected. She was told that the Energy Vessel kept the island aloft.

"That…" Hinata pointed up. She idly mused if she could ask the instigator of it all how to get there.

"Lord Hamura's temple. Where we are to be wed."

Hinata was disturbed by that.

"But… your clan's marriage laws." Unless he was lying, if she could remember correctly, he said that his clan permits marriage to pregnant married women only after they're divorced and have given birth. Even if she didn't seem pregnant now, she still isn't divorced as far as Toneri is concerned. How far does she have to go to carry out this mission?

"It doesn't matter anymore, Hinata." He tangled his fingers with hers, and this time more firmly. "We are together now and the moment we enter the Room of Rebirth, we will belong to each other till the end of time and what you see here, in this palace, I promise I will prepare for you a much better place with the Tenseigan after everything is complete."

After the whole world is destroyed.

"I was always sad and alone. The planet I look after has only ever made me angry. The people of Earth below only knew wars; Shinobi weaponizing chakra. They have civilization but no civility. Such disgrace, unworthy of the hope the Sage of Six Paths has placed upon them. My family has been tasked by the will of Hamura to mete out righteous punishment. Being faithful to our duty has always been an honor but it was never easy. But now that you are finally here, rightfully where you belong… now that I have you." He slowly reached out to caress her face. "Argh!" Toneri fell on his knees, clutching his eyes.

"Are you alright?!"

Hinata's medic instincts took over.

After a while, when Toneri calmed down, he placed a kiss on her knuckles.

"You are very kind to help me get through the second pulsation, Byakugan Princess." He cradled her hand on his cheek. "For so long, I was always alone. But now you are here… My joy and that of my father's and those who had gone before him, has finally achieved fullness. It is my desire that we marry now. Do you consent to this?"

Hinata gave Toneri her answer.

"Marvelous." He wrapped his hands around her, and there was awkwardness in the way he did it. Hinata associated it with someone trying to fit into ill-fitting clothes as his jaws scooted over the roundness of her head and his arms were like stiff tree branches coiled on her back. "I shall send my servants to prepare you for our wedding."

* * *

Sasuke's sword twisted on the shell and the portal guardian hermit crab's entrails adhered to his blade.

He walked out of the cave loaded with memory-inducing _genjutsu_ traps which he was able to simply counter with the Sharingan. The sharp metal he held out in a guarded angle chirred thin and crisp. Calculating dichromic eyes perused at the expanse of the grey sea. No waves rush to and fro the wide water surface. It was unnaturally muted and tranquil.

He summoned Garuda and saddled on its back.

As Sasuke's avian summon cleaved through the unchanging blue skies, he was met with thick white clouds but it wasn't a condensation of mists. It was an illusion _jutsu—_ even the azure of the skies that was colored more intensely than the blue of Kaze no Kuni's desert horizons over mid-day heat.

His vision ran through uninhabited evergreen forests below islands bordered with white jagged rocks. Garuda's wingspan reflected clearly on mirror sea. No life skittered or swam on the water.

Sasuke continued flight northwards and came across an abandoned fortification. The skewed walls stood at about five hundred meters tall with blackened turrets sticking out, some hunched like beaks of crows failing flight. A muddied purple banner sprayed with dust and age was bent above it with the smudged symbol of a yellow sun.

Protected within the confines of the broken battlements was a mountain with a lone old castle on its summit and a forgotten civilization once firmly established swirling down the shattered cobblestone slopes.

Stone houses lined up like severed, abused creatures defaced with evidences of chaos—charred black marks of a conflagration long dead on grey brick walls. Along its desolate aisles, he found plates and cups scattered where a family meal must have taken place, the small shoe of a child missing a pair, a woman's comb hair ornament, furry cobwebs on broken windows and corners.

There were no signs or traces chakra. No bones, insects, or critters emerged as he traversed up the crooked stairs leading to the castle.

His footfalls ground against cutting fallen debris. Water deluged a portion leading to the arcaded grand hall where the garden balcony caved in, burgeoning weeds around the shady side of the castle.

It smelled of dust and moss.

The sickening beams of the artificial sun snaked through holes on the walls sculpted with particular convoluted designs where portraits with blurred faces hung lopsided.

He climbed up the curving grand stairway that lead two ways from the landing with balustrades made of carved crystals. On Sasuke's left was a wrecked orifice and the right led to a closed inner double door with inlaid wooden exterior.

Sasuke charily pulled on the brass knobs and the unoiled hinges creaked. He dusted off fine grains of rock that rained on his head and shoulders.

Scrolls and old books strayed cluttered across the huge room; some shelves lay prostrate, but the library was the most intact segment of the castle he had seen so far. He cut across the mountain of dislodged furnishings to a disorderly pile of books on top of scrolls jutting out like unkempt hairs. Judging from the thinner screen of dust on the covers, the books have been recently moved.

Sasuke perused each one, the arcane scripts legible by his Rinnegan. They were nothing more than myths, legends, poems, and cookery until he saw a red ink drawing of the ten-tailed beast on one of the scrolls hidden beneath.

All the other volumes off were swiped off the table. As he unfurled more of the scroll, his gaze shifted speedily line by line, red blurring into the dirty white. Just as he was nearing the other end of the parchment, there was a sudden immense energy approaching.

Explosive scorching beams blasted through stonewalls.

The ground deliriously convulsed at the eruption.

Fire and dark heavy smoke rose up.

No sooner than a blink did the whole delicate earthquake-stricken structure collapsed to its foundations.

Regal golden knights in flowing black robes strode up the crumbled mound, the grooves and ridges of their metal feet grating against the rough edges. Self-acting soulless heads uniformly turned, scanning the debris, firing power beams at every hint of vibration or movement below. After having satisfied dead check procedures, they began to skitter downhill.

Suddenly, a colossal arm made of purple light force burst out the rubble, its monstrous claw seizing hold one of the knights. The broken pieces ceded and Sasuke emerged encapsulated within Susanoo's skeletal rib.

 _Finally._

He could clearly see floating chakra trails like guiding glitter ribbons gracefully dancing in the air.

* * *

"What happened?!" asked Sakura, her pink hair mussed up from turning nonstop trying to find a comfortable sleeping position. "Your eyes are back!"

Hanabi was tended by another medic and Sai stood by her back like a shadow trying to blend into the background. She didn't answer and merely offered a wry grin, wincing at the metal rods being pulled out. Her medic was breaking out in sweat.

"Hinata got abducted. The sister tried to follow after. Didn't catch up. Summoned Uchiha then Uchiha went to the portal. Yes, that is indeed the correct sequence of events. I only know the sequence," remarked Sai, not talking to anyone in particular .

"Hinata what?!" Sakura's belly buldged out to the heiress' face. "Why?! The Toneri guy? No. There's so much going on. Shouldn't we tell your father—wait. Why were you injured?"

"Don't tell father about me. He'd come with a full-length sermon." The rods were out of her system at last, and the medic proceeded to healing the bone and the nerves. "Let him rest with a new mind for tomorrow when I break the news. Anyway, Sasuke nii-san,"—she felt a slight shudder at the name seeming alien with the honorific—"He promised to bring Hinata nee-sama back… But I'm still coming to terms with the fact that they're on the moon and the whole world waits until the moon is destroyed—tomorrow was it? And I don't know how long it will take Sasuke nii-san to rescue nee-sama. It's not just a clan matter anymore. It escalated to something bigger than village bureaucracy."

"No. Not tomorrow, Hanabi." Sakura's expression turned grave and her hand fell limp beside her. "Naruto told me. The Five Kage concurred. After all, the Raikage was successful in increasing the cannon's firing range.

"It should be any minute now. In a half hour at most."

Hanabi's steel chair stumbled to the side, causing resting patients to squirm and turn vexed in their beds.

"Oh no."

* * *

Porcelain dolls dressed as maids started powdering Hinata's face after putting on her a flaunting black gown which showed the skin of her back. The pat of the brush slowly brought her to the first time bright crimson was painted on her white face, the heaviness of the color as she walked to Sasuke's side, her body roasted inside layers of red under white wedding _furisode_ as her fingers dripped with ice cold sweat.

The doll puppets didn't paint her lips red but rubbed aromatic oil instead. And she would never wear it for anyone but Sasuke.

They twisted her hair and put a black cap over her head. Lustrous gold chains outlined her face and the black silk veil that draped the back slid like smooth ink through her digits. She was led to a golden circular transport device which Toneri used to bring her from Konoha's shelter to the portal, swiftly straight to his palace. Everything that moves within the moon is caused by Toneri. A world constantly at his bidding—the maddening solitude in that.

The transportation device rose higher and higher, and the porcelain puppets encircled their glossed arms around her gloved ones like a prisoner. Supersized winged creatures with black feathers, flat-bellied birds, flew around them in a ring, clearing the thick accumulation of clouds. It descended on the floating island and Hinata's legs minutely wobbled, re-establishing her sense of balance. The pull of gravity seemed lighter that she wondered if she'd float as she walked.

Hamura's temple was a great rock of artful sculpt. Its façade was a magnificent gilded structure with a lotus-shaped mosaic above the main entrance. On its columns ran curled flowing designs of vines and flowers. The servant porcelain dolls left her standing in the outer court and in turn, puppets dressed in monk garbs with tall caps and masks hanging on their faces, wrapped a long braid of black beads around her wrists like shackles of a captive.

They led her to the long red carpet lining the white granite floor. The sky darkened and it was suddenly evening. The path before her towards the altar lit up with the palms of the golden knights lining up the aisle. Toneri was waiting at the other end, smiling at her in dark bridegroom raiment with a wide sash, and then the somber music of plucked strings with a hollow, metallic sound played, accompanied by subtle, short strikes of a thick gourd-like percussion.

She took in a shaky breath.

She began walking down the carpet—tense, uneasy steps—and one by one, the golden knights kneeled down as she passed.

They pressed their palms on the floor as though extinguishing smoldering metal and the patterns of lines on the ground began to light up like tangled threads of bleeding fire, and the closer she came to Toneri, more lines flared until the whole golden interior gleamed like furnace, gathering to the altar in front where an imposing monument of Hamura stood. Its lifeless eyes gleamed and the arch of the altar began to flare up like rays of the sun. The florid platform on which the monument stood split in half and parted sideways, revealing a chamber compartment.

"The Room of Rebirth is open at last," Toneri uttered with astonishment. "Now, we shall take our vows before the will of Hamura."

They stood in front a smooth slab of a brilliant stone where an opened scroll adhered. Monk puppets loomed behind them in a semi-circle.

The monks prodded her by the elbows, holding out her arms to put the beads wrapped on her wrists around Toneri's neck. After accepting Hinata's symbol of unconditional submission, Toneri bowed before the scroll.

It baffled Hinata. "Toneri-san… this…." The will of Hamura is nowhere—it was a sentient, ethereal being. She had accepted all the chakra that was contained in that will. What did he refer to as the will of Hamura?

A small bowl of fragrant perfume was brought before Hinata and the monk marionettes soaked her fingers in it and tugged her hand to dab Toneri's forehead.

"Before you is the testament written by the hand of Lord Hamura himself, concerning the fate of the world, its judgement of a thousand years, and the destiny of the legacy which has been bestowed upon me. By this marriage, together, we shall bring the will of Hamura to its completeness, Hinata, my Byakugan Princess."

Then a sparkling oblong tray with a circular object laid on a cushion was brought in, together with a golden goblet. A masked monk reverently took the circular object with both of its hands to put a half side on Toneri's mouth.

"My wife." He faced her, Byakugan eyes firm on her closed ones. "The seal of unification. The moment we leave our marks on it is the beginning of the union of our wills, where the vows to be said hereafter are pure, definite and binding; where guile ceases to exist; where my truth… becomes your truth."

Toneri bit on the circular object which was a seal shaped from a hard, black pastry. He held Hinata's bare shoulders, leaning closer in on her lips.

He was stopped; eyes bulging out, white skin turning ruddy as he retched.

The seal dropped from his mouth.

He tried to grab Hinata's arms but his hands turned weak. He looked up at her, petrified as he dropped to his knees.

"W-why?" he grunted, clutching on his stomach.

"I'm sorry Toneri-san, but I am Sasuke-kun's wife. And I am not the Byakugan Princess. Your convictions are built upon lies and you do not even know it. We Shinobi stand by our _nindou_. Our world is not perfect but we learn from mistakes. People important to us, to me, died for the sake of peace. For you to dismiss what we value with our lives as simply black and white is unacceptable!"

Hinata shook Toneri's hands off of her and tried to run to whichever door the chakra that surrounded the whole temple felt the strongest. Toneri's knights seized her. She tried to rattle her wrists and twist out and thrust.

"You would never do this!" wailed Toneri. Hinata had sealed his main chakra core and though it wasn't as lethal as when she had the Byakugan, the savage pain of betrayal stabbed through him with unprecedented force.

Veins swelled on his neck. Hinata had never seen him look so mad. It was almost unimaginable for his gentle features to be puckered with such fury.

"Have you been so consumed by the world that you smirch yourself with their vileness and filth, Byakugan Princess! Argh!" He writhed on the carpet, suffering immense pain from his eyes metamorphosing to Tenseigan, his body twisting and thrashing uncontrollably. "Aaaarrrggh!"

The golden knights that held her was brought to a standstill; even the monks, the maidservants, and the knights who stood guard at the entrance with gleaming swords as though time had ceased its flow. Part of her felt sorry for Toneri but she dashed immediately towards the ornate doors lining the temple walls hoping one of those led underground.

* * *

It didn't take long for Hinata to locate the Tenseigan. The underground chamber containing the Tenseigan was bedecked with space manipulation _jutsu._ The whole vessel was larger than the floating island itself that its golden circular frames might as well have formed elliptical archways and bridges enclosing the main core that was like a small sun but big enough to probably light up all of Konohagakure and its neighboring villages.

A moment of doubt conflicted Hinata but as she gathered more and more of Hamura's chakra into raging purple lion fists, she could feel the trembling pressure, the sheer power emitted from within her. She poured out more energy into her fists and the blood coursing her arms began to boil like molten magma. She screamed to amplify the forces gathered therein, her cheeks quivering.

And just like a lifeline snapping, she sprang down in a free fall.

Everything her limited vision could see passed by her in slow motion. Her gasped breath pulled in all sounds in a chasm of shrunk silence.

Her flaming arms crashed into the bright energy core, overwhelming her substituted sense of sight.

Her vision blacked out.

She could hear her labored breathing…

Her legs and arms shook as she tried to hold herself up.

Her body wobbled as she stood and then… a sudden sharp noise.

A loud crack.

A slow rhythm at first—turning to a symphony of ice sheets colliding against each other—breaking to pieces…

Even if she couldn't see, she felt herself unconsciously beaming at the near fulfilment of her mission. Just a bit more… If she could just gather a bit more…

She poised her arms preparing for lion gentle fists.

A flit of goose bumps trailed her back. Her head rose tensely, trying to hear.

Cold fingers gripped her roughly on the shoulders, coiling around her hoisting her up.

"Aaaaah!" Hinata squealed as she tried to break free. His heart pressed to her nape raging through his clothes, wracked with ominous force.

"You've done more than enough, Byakugan Princess," Toneri whispered coldly. "More than enough to make me unkind. You know that I love you, yet you did evil… unfathomable evil, to earn my wrath."

"Stop, Toneri-san," Hinata choked a half-sob. "You're hurting me. You have to stop now. Hamura-san never intended for the world to be destroyed. You have been told a lie all your life—"

"You are the one lying to me! I do not know what machinations you did to make me be unable to read your mind but I know you did this because of that lowly scum Uchiha. It is best that you forget about him. You are my wife now and if you cannot love me…" His palm yielded a luminescent orb of chakra. "Then I will make you. You forced me to do this."

Her feet violently flailed and just as the glowing orb was closing into Hinata's chakra core, the sound of rocks crumbling intruded.

"He is here."

Lighting cracked and wood exploded. Burnt smell poured in. She heard a whir of blade and Toneri abruptly ceased his choking hold. A fist of breath bulleted down Hinata's airway. She coughed up harshly but she was falling. If she could grab onto something, if she could muster more concentration to force a bit of depleted chakra into her optic nerves before she lands dead…

She was snatched away mid-air and reined into a hard chest. She pushed away, drugged with instinct and adrenaline, but the familiar sense of chakra making her fingertips tingle rendered her paralyzed.

"You alright?" His cloak was heady with the smell of dirt, dust, and smoke.

And she knew that voice.

"Sasuke-kun."

She must be hallucinating, hearing voices that aren't really there or have fallen to her death, but the fearsome sensation of fizzling charged lightning mixed with warmth was telling her otherwise.

"Sasuke-kun." Hinata ran frantic hands on his cloak, the column of his neck and the bones on his chin. "I-is it really Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke pressed a whisper on her ear saying he'll definitely get her out and bring her home.

"But the Tenseigan is not yet destroyed. I must…" her voice trailed off.

"It won't last long. We must leave."

She heard him sheath his sword and he swooped her up the ground as though quickly fleeing from something.

"Get your filthy hands away from the Byakugan Princess!" growled Toneri.

Sharp rocks and wood splinters shot at Sasuke like arrows. He teleported to the door using Amenotejikara. Out the temple, he quickly saddled with Hinata in front of him on Garuda's back who was lying in wait, flying in vigilant circles after tearing asunder the birds guarding the temple to metal and wooden pieces. The avian summon glided swiftly, the strength of its wings roaring as if to declare open invisible paths homeward.

" _Ginrin Tensei Baku!"_ Toneri commanded and terrible spikes and gales of a great whirlwind directed its course behind them. It swallowed them up in a destructive vortex, sending Garuda away to disappear back to his dimension. Sasuke with Hinata held tight around in his arms was catapulted out into the chasm busted out the still surface of the moon. The whirlwind had punctured through with overwhelming force.

"Sasuke-kun?" Her fingers crept on his cheek and thick, viscid wetness dripped and coated, scenting of rusty vapor. "Y-your eyes are bleeding!"

"This is nothing."

He cushioned their crash on the rocky, sandy surface of the moon with the full Susanoo, its powerful wings spread out as it landed. Light breeze swept in as Sasuke set Hinata on the ground in a canted nook hidden behind the shadow of a hollow deflation.

"Let me heal you," said Hinata. She tried to put her hands over his eyes but Sasuke stilled her wrists.

"Save your strength. Stay here."

"Sasuke…"

The wind shifted and he was immediately gone.

* * *

•••

* * *

Hanabi rushed to the Hokage's side with Sakura trying to catch up behind her.

"Hokage-sama, I plead for audience."

Naruto was the first one who noticed her. Others were immersed in exchange and monitoring of information.

"Hey, Hanabi. What's wrong? Kakashi-sensei's still busy at the moment. We're only about fifteen minutes away till the Chakra Cannon's fully charged," said Naruto.

"No, you must stop it!" Hanabi exclaimed, grabbing everyone's attention. Shinobi scientist eyes narrowed at her, interrupted from their demanding jobs. "You can't fire at the moon! Hinata nee-sama and Sasuke nii-san are in there, right now!"

"What did you say?!" Kakashi tore his eyes away from the Kage video conference monitors.

"No way!" Naruto almost stumbled scrambling towards them.

"It's the Mangetsu no Kami, sensei," huffed Sakura, bracing her burdened back with the hands on her hips. "He took Hinata. Sasuke-kun is trying to rescue her."

Kakashi flicked his eyes back to the monitors with the Mizukage, Kazekage, and Tsuchikage on the other side. "I call for the Raikage's attention. It's an emergency. I repeat. It's an emergency."

"The Uchiha never ceases to keep us Kages at the edge of our seats," remarked the Mei from the screen.

"How many hours has passed since Sasuke went after Hinata?" asked Gaara.

Hanabi pressed her way in through tangled wires. "About an hour ago, Kazekage-sama. There was a portal to the Moon in the Land of Rivers."

After a few seconds, the Raikage appeared on the screen, fuming. "What craziness is this, Kakashi?! At the most crucial point!"

It startled Hanabi who ceded behind the Hokage's seat. "Uchiha Sasuke and his wife, the former Hyuuga Hinata is on the Moon. It seems that the Mangetsu no Kami has personal interests over the latter. She was kidnapped and Sasuke went to rescue her. We must delay firing the cannon until they have safely returned."

"What craziness! The whole world's at stake here, Kakashi. It doesn't matter who's in there. Millions would die if we don't strike while the iron's hot! Besides, the Uchiha? Why should we risk so much for him? Why should _I_ of all people do something like that?"

"But my sister's in there, too, Raikage-sama!" called out Hanabi.

"Why's a young girl in there? We're doing serious matters here! Get her out!" crabbed Ay.

Hanabi glared with feral intensity but that was the Raikage so she must hold back her tongue. _That's my sister in there, you dirty bag of bollocks!_

"Old man Raikage," Naruto stated firmly, "I know Sasuke did bad stuff but that was before. He is seriously changing, too. So please, stop the damn cannon. This is driving me crazy."

"Don't kid around, Naruto. You may have save the world but that was before. Now is now. Think of it as the Uchiha's atonement—his ultimate sacrifice for the rest of the world who actually deserve to live."

"I beg you, old man Raikage!" Naruto hounded through the Shinobi-version of a camera, sideswiping Kakashi from his seat. "Please! I bet my life on it. They will definitely come back safe and we'd still have time."

"I also ask this of you, Raikage," said Kakashi. "Now you have the present and the future Hokage at your mercy."

* * *

Tremors struck, beating the ground at the heavy footfalls of Toneri's gigantesque rock golem made from the temple's sturdy rocks with Hamura's monument as its mien. It smashed its fist at the incoming Susanoo, crumbling to smithereens against the purple phantom's slash of sword.

"Did you think you could hide Hinata from me? I, the possessor of the Tenseigan?!" Toneri's rock golem reassembled briskly to its original form.

Sasuke smirked. "What good will it do after I pull them out of your sockets?"

"Crass as expected, Uchiha. And that Susanoo. You are definitely Indra through and through!"

The rock golem seized Sasuke's Susanoo head on, gripping at its blade. What it lacked for agility, it made up with sheer weight and crushing force.

 **"GHRAAAARR!"** the rock golem roared, fiercely pushing against the Susanoo.

The two colossal figures wrestled for dominance, sluggish due to great proportions but it didn't take away the glorious display of profuse power. Toneri's rock golem towered over, overwhelming like a wave and Sasuke's purple phantom wavered from its forthright stance, heels digging deep into the sand when its wide-spanning wings suddenly whisked, thrusting forward. Taking a sharp turn, it slashed across the massive boulder in a series of attacks, now with a two swords in each hand, finishing with a deep, ripping cross cut, mincing rock pieces into rubble.

Toneri took his turn to laugh, confident as he yet again caused the rock golem to reassemble. This is merely using a drop of Tenseigan's powers.

Three new pairs of limbs grew around its body. It hurled itself at the Susanoo, clinging and gripping in a tight lock to immobilize use of weaponry. The purple phantom struggled to break free from the crushing hug attack, burdened by the golem's heavy weight. Rocks floated mid-air, gathering around like a purging blanket. More rocks clung and pressed ruthlessly around the overwhelmed Susanoo until its purple light dimmed under the rocks.

Toneri thought he had apprehended Sasuke when his golem—now a colossal ball of rock—was suddenly set ablaze in inextinguishable dark flames.

It fell apart and was reduced to flaming molten rocks disintegrating to thinnish gas. Toneri felt a tick of his nerve as Sasuke emerged with Susanoo's ribcage enclosing him, his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan eye trickling with blood. Is it possible that the Rinnegan is causing great burden on the Uchiha's body? Toneri wasn't quite certain yet but if his deduction is true, what kind of farce had he put up with all these while delaying Hamura's plan just because he was being careful of someone possessing the legendary _doujustu?_ What use is power if you can't wield it? A sharp sword when you merely drag it around?

" _Kagutsuchi!_ " Sasuke declared. Lightning power and dark flames flashed around him darting with monstrous majesty.

It almost caught Toneri off guard and his truth-seeking balls transmuted into a dark sphere at a blood-curdling nick of time. The force from the Kagutsuchi dragged the dark sphere with Toneri inside to the ground where it erupted a deadly harsh blow from absorbing too much lightning chakra at once.

The Uchiha shot through the flannel cloud of explosion, straight at him with fast strikes of his sword. Toneri briefly marveled at his opponent's speed catching up to the truth-seeking balls. The blurring speedy metal hissed with malice and murderous flare, vibrating as it clashed, forming a veil of harsh sparks. Sasuke pierced through the dynamic ball barricade, narrowly missing Toneri's neck. That was too close for comfort so he set the black balls to explode in great balls of fire.

Moon dust spewed out in high geysers, blocking Sasuke out of sight. But Toneri could see and feel him—the spirit of darkness in the man. And maybe, that man is darkness himself. A darkness that must be thoroughly destroyed.

Green orbs thrumming with power formed a ring around Toneri, rapidly shooting flesh-boring laser beams at the curtain of dust. A blinding circle of lighting burst forth from the ground, deflecting the laser beams. Dust ceded revealing Sasuke with his emblazed sword anchored to the ground.

Toneri summoned the silver Tenseigan blast which spun like a thousand blades, this time tensely intent on mincing the Uchiha for good. As he released the attack, a zap of lightning-threaded sword forced through the glimmering tempest's eye. Toneri barely dodged the _chokuto_ when it suddenly turned into the Uchiha with a steely red bloodline limit, widely swinging Susanoo's skeleton arm. He was hammered down crashing on his back.

Toneri pulled himself up, easing into levitation. A drop of sweat trickling down his bleach brow evaporated. "I must admit, you fight well," Toneri said, his luminescent face in an evident frown. Evil was giving him a hard time.

"Too bad I can't say the same for you," dismissed Sasuke.

Toneri clenched his fists in anger so novel and consuming. Restless abhorrence festered inside.

The moment his foot left the ground, he barreled forward bullishly, determined to do whatever it takes to bring the enemy down. The two of them were like flashes of light colliding, faster than ordinary eyes could follow. Sasuke slammed at him with a flurry of solid punches and high kicks, his gaze unwavering even as he skidded away, avoiding the onslaught of his golden power beams. Toneri smirked, a surge of smoldering ecstasy crept his heart.

In combat, it is rudimentary to read on the opponent. The Uchiha, though a possessor or the Rinnegan and masterful in his methods, has a limited chakra reserve. Thus, he uses the most powerful attacks in his arsenal sparingly due to the ample time needed to recharge his energies. Against the Tenseigan, he can't possibly win.

The fight shall end in the quickest, most beautiful way possible.

A chakra-absorbing orb manifested on Toneri's hand, his mouth a bold, sure curve. It grew larger as he set its capabilities to work.

Sasuke's legs weakened. He fell sprawled, convulsing as he bathed in dust. "You coward!" His Rinnegan flickered like a failing light bulb.

"Too late!" Toneri went high up, summoning a golden ray of light that pierced even the farthest, darkest, spatial firmament. " _Kinrin Tensei Baku!"_

And it burred as it flung, searing down Sasuke's body, cutting the moon in clean, perfect halves.

"Lord Hamura's power! How magnificent! Yet unable as I am of full control but truly, how magnificent!"

Splinters orbited the Moon and the cosmos turned silent.

"He is dead." Toneri muttered. "He is dead!" He laughed victorious. "Father! Great ancestors! Lord Hamura! I have purged a great evil! The world will now be fully cleansed!"

He caused the cracked Energy Vessel to appear beside him. The golden frames were sturdy by Hinata's attacked had left the containing vessel fragile to touch.

"Oh great ancestors," he said with great relief as he caressed the Tenseigan's glassy core, "The plan of two millennia was almost jeopardized because of the Byakugan Princess, but thankfully, I prevailed over Indra who was manipulating the Byakugan Princess to think like the world—to think of dreadful, evil things—but she can be fixed, be purified. Leave it in my hands as I am now her husband, great ancestors. At last, I was able to accomplish this great feat. I am honored. Indeed, I am honored."

He molded chakra around the Tenseigan, guiding the Energy Vessel to move.

"It breaks my heart to see the Tenseigan get destroyed, but just a bit more and Lord Hamura's will shall reign fulfilled. And with my own Tenseigan, I shall create a new world after a thousand years… with the Byakugan Princess."

The circular golden frames began to spin faster, whirring like a machine, and just before the Tenseigan's core shattered from too much pressure, the Moon trembled violently, falling fast into the Earth.

"There's no time to waste." The final part of the plan which has been handed down for generations to his father and then ultimately to him is already in order. "We must head for the Room of Rebirth, Byakugan Princess," Toneri gently called as though willing a child to get out from hiding. "Byakugan Princess?"

* * *

"Do you even know what is the Chakra Transportation Cannon?!" The Raikage's nerves bulged out like they would jump out the screen any minute. "Have you had a volcano wait in on you?! Do we just turn it off?! Are we kidding ourselves here?!"

"If you could calm down for a small while, Raikage," urged Gaara.

Hanabi was seriously munching on her nails. Her hands weren't fully healed yet but they'll be numb as ever.

"Ow-ow-ouch." Sakura tried to loosen the young Hyuuga's clutch on her hand. "Hanabi-chan, you're hurting me now. Didn't think you could but my fingers feel like they're gonna get ripped."

"Hokage-sama!" called one of the Shinobi scientists monitoring the Moon. "There is a significant change of activity! The Moon… It stopped."

Hanabi's chest tightened in the middle of breath. She could only hear "stopped" and the tense drumming of blood inside her ears.

"Is that for real?" Kakashi stood from his seat.

"Old man Raikage, it stopped! The Moon stopped! It must be Sasuke!" Naruto was shouting but he didn't seem to care. "And since it already stopped, just aim the cannon wherever, except the Moon! Great idea, isn't it? Oh, and the Earth. Except the Moon and the Earth!"

"Kiddo, you make it sound so terribly like we're just shooting darts."

* * *

"Byakugan Princess?" Toneri could no longer see Hinata with his Tenseigan. He began to get anxious. "Hinata! Hinata! Where are you?!"

He roamed the shuddering halved surface of the Moon swiftly from boundary to boundary. Earth was ever so nearing from his vantage point. As the satellite invaded the Earth's atmosphere, he braved one ignited crater to another and behind flaming ridges.

"No." He couldn't find her anywhere.

As he glanced back to the blue, brown and green surface of the Earth, he swallowed thickly. Toneri could imagine Hanabi's scornful look in her white eyes, cold but teary and furious, and the red blood dripping from her wounded lip—the red stains it had left on his white handkerchief which he burned in the light furnace. He tore his gaze away, a vomiting sensation pulling out was gathering at the pit of his stomach and though his body was aflame with the fire of the Tenseigan, grimness burned his skin like an abrasive flush.

Had he been in the Room of Rebirth with the Byakugan Princess by now, then he would have been spared from the tyrant clout of such _strange_ sensations.

 _Unbearable…_ He secretly wished for the Moon to stop its collision with the Earth, though he might as well hurry and search for the Byakugan Princess lest he ends up in the Room of Rebirth alone—a consequential departure from the will of Hamura. Everything was supposed to go smoothly and perfectly according to plan had it not been for one single pestiferous variable in the form of Sasuke Uchiha.

Much to his surprise, the Moon stopped shaking. It merely floated lightly in an empty, languid space suspension.

"What is happening?" Even if the Energy Vessel had broken, it is of no consequence to the free fall of the Moon. At that point, Earth's gravity was supposed to mindlessly pull it into itself.

Slowly, the Earth faded to dust as if sand blown by a heavy wind and when he looked around, the stars ceased their twinkling, hiding terrible secrets in their vanishing. He swirled around, only to find the surrounding cosmic bodies—the Sun and his favorite planets like the small, powerful one nearest—have all disappeared without a trace.

Grave silence descended upon the whole universe.

He returned inside the moon where the Room of Rebirth laid bare on top of the floating island. However, the Moon's sun did not shine its artificial brightness—crafted by artisans who established the Ootsutsuki Clan fortress with Hamura. He commanded for his golden knights to come but it fell on dead senses.

Something has gone awfully wrong.

Cold fog swung in and out as he breathed. It intensified until he could hear nothing but the rasping of fervid respiration.

He curled down on his knees, fisting his ears.

"Father? Father?" Toneri called subtly at first. Unknowing grappled with his sanity. He was not made aware of this. Neither his father had left him instructions nor Hamura's will concerning the event of its failure, or in the event of the Byakugan Princess and everything around him vanishing, or about the insubordination of the puppets—which were absolute followers.

They have left him all by himself.

"Father! Father!" He shouted manically. "They're not moving!... They're not moving, father…"

When nothing answered, he talked slowly as if trying to behave himself. "They won't listen to me, but if it's you father, they would. Surely. Please, if you could just tell them."

Hollow, dreadful silence answered to him. The darkness engulfed him tightly around its claws.

"I was being good like you told me but… I'm scared!" He began to weep, embracing himself. "You can't go… You can't leave me alone."

A pair of sandaled feet appeared in front of his downcast vision.

"You're nothing but a child."

He looked up and Sasuke stood above him, his eye shone bright with a bloody red lotus pattern.

"Uchiha." Then it dawned on him. Toneri's demeanor changed in an instant, his glowing blue ember irises sharp with fury. "Since when?!" He couldn't move. "What did you do?!"

Sasuke's hands covered his vision.

"No! No! No!" He tried to get up only to find himself being held down under Sasuke's knee on the neck and he laid prostate on the ground, lunar sand escaping his fists. "NOOOOO!" His throat rasped harshly, crying out in intense pain. Spittle gurgled from his mouth. Sasuke's fingers had dug on the crevice of his eyes, scooped out the Tenseigan, pulled them out easily as one soundly ridding a fish of gills and intestines.

"Naruto and I… We've grown. But we were desolate children just like you. In the end, no matter how hard you try to differentiate, you're no _kami._ "

"I will not suffer defeat." The colorless moon dust turned red, its dryness wet with his blood. "Justice will be rightfully served." He formed hand seals and the Energy Vessel emerged out of thin air behind him. "You are not worthy of Hinata. She is mine!"

A white marble palm broke in from the ground, attacking Sasuke from underneath. He skilfully dodged it with a high jump, landing on a platform near where Hinata was. He clicked his tongue, wary of their location.

The Byakugan Princess's statue, a spitting image of Hinata, pierced through the Moon's crust, set on crushing Sasuke in its wake. Its foot dragged across the sand with its arms arranging to Hinata's gentle fist stance. Sasuke gracefully twisted his body in a somersault and bolted straight to its head, planting his _chokuto_ firmly. Veins of lightning crackled down the statue like a deluge of rain.

"H-how… H-how…" Toneri stammered in consternation. "How could you do this to the Byakugan Princess?! This only proves that your love for Hinata only goes thus far! In the end, you are scum who could only kill like the Uchiha before you! You just proved yourself unfit for her!"

The Energy Vessel completely cracked causing thousands of Byakugan eyes to spill from the core. In a last desperate attempt of counterattack, Toneri attracted the eyes to himself until it covered him from head to toe as though making his body the new vessel.

He was a ghastly spectacle filled with eyes without eyes of his own.

"With what state of mind did you even think that you could marry Hinata?!"

He assumed a forthright stance; his now hulking body careened towards Sasuke who occupied himself with Hinata getting her eyes back.

"Only someone like me is rightfully for her. She is pure while you are vile!" Toneri's unsightly leg bedecked with sticky mucus on white eyeballs aimed a powerful kick at Sasuke's head.

Sand drifted at the sailing force.

Sasuke blocked with a hardened arm. The last Ootsutsuki on the Moon was merely squeezing the last ounce of chakra left in the Byakugan but he's beyond exhausted at the moment. When Toneri flounced energy balls, Sasuke effortlessly deflected his attacks. He smacked the other man on the jaw, jarring his sense of balance.

Toneri spat red as he tried to get up. "Earthlings killing earthlings alike! I merely gave them power and they commit every horrid thing there is IN YOUR NAME! An affirmation of the vileness that irrefutably runs in the blood."

"No. I might've taken the blame for a while but you are the true killer."

"No, I serve justice!" Byakugan eyes began to fall off his body.

Sasuke crashed his fist into Toneri's bloody face, almost knocking him unconscious. "A killer can't possibly judge a fellow killer. Someone in denial like you is worse than scum. Your hatred towards me is baseless. True, Uchiha Madara summoned the Ten Tails which bade misfortune for your world and ours but that has nothing to do with me and Hinata, and the men, women and children you killed. Death is too good a punishment for self-exculpating cowards."

* * *

Hinata healed her eyes. Sasuke gathered her carefully in his arms.

"I didn't destroy the Tenseigan with my own power, Toneri-san," revealed Hinata. "Hamura-san lent me the chakra contained in his will. He never intended for the Ootsutsuki to pass judgement and destroy the Earth. If anything, you were supposed to look after it, being guardians of the Sage of Six Paths' vision which Hamura-san greatly admired."

"No, the world that the Sage of Six Paths created has failed. My father had always known it would be so. And his father before him. And the father of the father…" He cut off with a heavy breath out. Toneri stayed prostrate on the ground. "In what aspect is he better than I am, Hinata?" he conversed weakly. "Why do you still go to him, why do you still love him when I could have loved you just the same—no, better! Is it _genjutsu_? Have you been unaware that he put you under _genjutsu_? Someone like Indra doesn't match the Byakugan Princess. That is beyond comprehension."

"Toneri-san, Sasuke-kun had never—"

"You said it, didn't you? That I'm just scum. Scum like me couldn't possibly love. What made you think it has something to do with me… Hinata just has always been who she is." Sasuke avoided Hinata's gaze looking up at him. "It can never be. It was never because of me."

"So you are what the people of the Earth call lucky. Something as arbitrary as that."

"It gives me great satisfaction that your thoughts are eating you alive, murderer. But why don't experience that filthy world of ours and see for yourself the suffering of being alive. That is true punishment. That is justice."

Just before he walked out, Sasuke told Toneri: "Besides, Hanabi's probably waiting for you. Then you'll get to experience the life of a traitor without friends or family at your side. The redemption you'll find in the hate of their once trusting eyes." Sasuke's smile was sinister.

* * *

•••

* * *

Hinata didn't like it when Sasuke talked hatefully.

It hurt her.

She didn't rest her head on the pillow of taut muscle covered by the stuffy folds of his khaki cloak.

She would've wanted to but then she couldn't.

He didn't talk, intensely focused on navigation. She kept mum with an arm bracing against his chest and her hand round in a weak, pondering fist over his shoulder. Her elbow bumped against his rib and if ever it was slightly uncomfortable, he didn't fuss about it.

"Hinata, I shall now cast a _genjutsu_ on you."

"Why?" She asked with a tone of indifference even though it has been long since she truly heard him speak.

"The memory-inducing _jutsu_ which that fool had set in this cave have been disrupted. I sense that they are all over the place like webs. Just a strand of that _jutsu_ on your skin and you'll be trapped in your own memories… My memories even."

When he tried to look at her, she covered his eyes. "Don't! L-let me be."

His brows scrunched. "What are you talking about?"

"I want to be caught up in it."

"Remove your hand," he gruffly said.

"Are you angry?" Healing chakra poured as she pressing more heat on his eyes.

His pursed his lips tight and passed a minute sigh. "No."

She gave him a gentle peck on the lips, still not removing her hands. "I want to see your memories."

The calm on his face dimmed. "You can't be shown that. "

"But..." She bit on her lip. Maybe she shouldn't insist. "I want to know you more."

He just stayed silent, adamant, but she was determined too. If she can't convince him with words then maybe, kissing him would do it.

He evaded, vaguely smirking when she aimed for his lips again. "Even if you seduce me, young lady, I won't let you."

She moved her arms around his neck, cheek flat on his sweaty hair where it felt just right, damp and earthy. "It was hard for both of us. I waited patiently, every day, not even knowing where you were. But I don't like this feeling. Like you're slipping away from me… I never knew the reality of your suffering. And somehow, because I knew I didn't used to care, it always leaves a gap."

"There are countless, hideous things in me you're better off without." he mumbled against her shoulder.

"If Sasuke-kun sees my memories I'm certain you'll see a lot of ugly things if you'd take a look... As your wife I..." Her sound broke off a little, the strenuous press of her body bruising her. Is it right to impose that way? "You said it shows memories. That it could be mine or yours. If you just let it decide, then… Please don't think too much about it. Everything will be alright. "

He walked into the cave's jagged mouth and Hinata watched as the gray sea faded from view, thinking about the Ootsutsuki who thought they knew love but didn't have it. Was it really because they stayed in the moon above everyone else?

If so, distance can be cruel and severe, without a clear starting point and a definite end, unbound by the corporeal because it exists even inwards.

つづく

* * *

Daifuku Mochiin Corner!(T_T;)

I lie on the floor. Like a fried fish fallen from the table to the floor. Dang. Writing this chapter felt like fried fish trying to spawn the next generation of fresh fishes. It was so hard for me, almost impossible.

First of all, I am so sorry for the wait. My previous estimate was based on a large margin of error (ahaha… Yikes). Thanks to everyone who are following this story and/or has added FLGW to their favorites list. Thank you all who left reviews (I've sent you PMs all, I think) and to the guest reviewers, thank you very much for letting me know what you think of FLGW.

I would like to specially thank SilverKitsune2017-senpai for helping me get through the mental-emotional rollercoaster of writing a climax chapter. I was like tornado with lots of baka Sasuke swirling around and senpai was a placid lake. Also the guest reviewer who commented "Hey, its January," thanks so much because it made me glad that you're actually looking forward to the next update even if I honestly didn't know how to write this chapter. I suck at action scenes. I only know punch and kick but it went where it wanted to go. I have no idea what the Tenseigan really is, what it was actually capable of doing, and Toneri's battle data is very limited. Did I know how he'd fare against Sasuke? No. Did I know what I was doing at all? Of course not. I was slave to it since the second half of January until now and maybe even after a few days. Thank you gabrielleannelle for checking up on me lols. I'm always like _awww_ ,)

What's with all the thankfulness you ask? My noob writer-ness just finished an entire climax chapter with action scenes that's what! For the first time in my life. So let me just pop this lovely virtual bottle of… grape juice!

Cheers to anyone reading this!

Yes, noobs are better off celebrating small milestones. I'm happier in life that way.

I'm actually kinda doubtful about my action scenes. Tell me what you think (if it sucks horribly, or maybe share some ways I could improve it… I did my best lol).

Now, onto the next chapters, I've decided to put up a new flower book or chapter, whatever it is. This chapter is the last part of Cherry Blossoms. Intially, I thought of ending with Cherry Blossoms all the way but I didn't think it would come out as gloomy as it did, so following _tabula rasa_ whatnot, I decided to entitle the next set of chapters, "Red White Lotus" (it will be dedicated to those saddned by Cherry Blossoms, myself included). I've hinted on it in this chapter with the lotus flower and the colors red and white being repeated in various scenarios (along with words like no, eyes, explosion, light, gleam, silence and other overused words… I was seriously running out of words). It represents Uchiha and the contrast of white and red—white for purity and red for _ooh-la-la_ (wink wink). But that's not everything. Let's see how it goes.

However, I'm getting busier with other matters in life and I decided to comfortably write the succeeding chapters without time pressure (I'd like to think I have time _preshh.._. Can I get a lol? Yeah)—which is just another way of saying I won't be updating FLGW for a while (months actually… wince wince). I confess, my pre-made chapters caught up to me after Bosom Carnations. Cherry Blossoms chapters were posted right after I finished writing and editing a bit, which was a contrast from the previous flower "books". I ended up doing a lot of major revisions even after I posted Cherry Blossoms just because what I previously wrote doesn't make coherent the direction that new chapters are taking. I recently changed various happenings in Cherry Blossoms – Part V because I found out after reading it again and again that the Sasuke I wrote there wasn't the Sasuke that I wanted for this chapter. After editing, he did not kill the small fry sent by Toneri and he wasn't as _angsty_ about Hinata being caught up in the Infinite Tsukuyomi as I had originally wrote, because during that event, he was still on a stage where he doesn't fully own up to his feelings for Hinata, so I toned it down a bit. Then, I also explicitly stated that what he saw as he attacked Naruto with a final Chidori was actually Hinata smiling at him in his mind's eye. I was being vague about it (I can't remember the reason why) like "And in the breadth of a moment, he saw it … A smile," which I admit was just one of the confusing points. I thank Hawaii-unnie for her constructive criticism. It really helped a lot. If she didn't then I wouldn't have reflected on how I wrote parts V and VI of Cherry Blossoms. I would love to know what you guys think (if you're still reading up to this point). Leave a review if you want, I'm not forcing you or anything. Just whatever makes you comfortable (Inner DM: I will shove mochi molds in your mouth if you don't… _Rawr!_ ).

Red and White Lotus will have a different kind of feels altogether and I will do my best to make it worth looking forward to.

* * *

If you have questions I will answer right **here** :

From pro-uchiha: Hinata is pregnant right? 

\- Yes pro-uchiha, she is prego but she sealed it. In the previous chapter, the will of Hamura appeared to Hinata in a dream where he gave her a mission to destroy the Tenseigan. He also taught her the kind of seal (it sent the fetus to a dimension opposite Hinata's real body so the bump's not visible) that ancient prego Ootsutsuki women used to protect their babies from the strain when they crossed the portal to the moon, coz portals are brutal, pressurized doors that even Sasuke experienced difficulties in Cherry Blossoms Part I. (But really, the real reason is I don't want people to feel like I'm bullying Hinata too much. She almost had a miscarriage before and in this chapter, I had Toneri choke her. My mind made up scenes like dehydration and blood traveling down her thighs. Lol. Then it becomes really tragic. In a way, the seal kept me sane too hahaha!)

Till next time!:D

Japanese Terms:

Ginrin Tensei Baku – Sliver Wheel Rebirth Expolsion

Kinrin Tensei Baku – Golden Wheel Rebirth Expolsion


	27. Interlude - Red White Lotus

**Interlude**

The red poppies wobbled at the bidding of the slow, gentle wind. Sasuke observed it close, his vision fanned by the delicate red petals like wings preparing for flight and the dark center gazed like a jolly eye. It quirked and bobbed, bowing near his nose.

Grass fibers latched on his cheek, on the cool cotton of his sleeves, scratching red marks under his wrists like a thousand lifting fingers. He listened to the newness of his heartbeat's sound drumming flat against the green land and the stridulating soft burn of small distilled crickets skidding on the miniscule of green blades.

Nearing steps thrummed, buried underneath.

"Sasuke," called Naruto, "What are you doing over there?"

The blond man sat beside his friend having silent conversation with a flower.

"I know you're feeling cozy 'coz you just got married and all, but you lying on the ground like that – I thought you died or something!" His mocking laughter blared, won out, and faltered sluggishly after falling flat with his audience.

Sasuke never tore his somnolent gaze away. "Have you had anything like this? Like something you want to eat? No matter how many times over and over..."

"Sure. Ramen," said Naruto, breezily.

After a few pondering blinks, he added: "You can't eat that. I tell you, flowers don't taste like anything. One look and I just know you're better off with tomatoes."

No reaction. Not even a shrug. Sasuke's usually alert, sharp eyes looked droopy as he stared long at the flower.

"Didn't know you liked red poppies that much." Naruto shook him hard on the side. " _Oi_ , Sasuke, you alright? You're gonna get cross-eye."

Sasuke batted the future Hokage's arm away. "Don't touch me." The subtle smirk of a sneering victor showed on his face. "You don't know what it's like."

"What is?" Naruto cocked his head.

The former avenger just went through a new step in his life—a huge milestone at that—by getting into marriage with Hinata the day before. Being newlywed meant having your first night in bed with the woman you love. Kakashi had forced Jiraya's works on Sasuke just so he'd be prepared for that moment. Naruto was curious how it went but not so much that he'd ask.

"I take that back," said Sasuke, getting up with languid grace. "Maybe you do, but I'm not interested."

He looked kinda drugged, thought Naruto, his clear blue eyes in a pucker, battered by the glinting sun.

He followed Sasuke to the shed, passing between infinite lilies. He watched as the other man clapped his rubber gloves to dust it off. Sasuke deftly slipped his hands into each well-worn piece tugging to fit his fingertips with accustomed nonchalance. His gloved fingers stretched and retracted to fists in a brazen manner, sizing up his strength, sizing up an unnamed enemy at the flex of his muscles edging the rolled-up sleeves, and pulled his garden tool box to fetch his hand fork.

Sasuke is particular with his tools as he does his weapons. The gardening fork, pruners, and even some spoons were never put back unless washed; the trowel and the hoe stripped away of any sliver of dirt, dried with the rags hanging on the terrace of his shed. And he does this as much as he's in Konoha, tending to the lilies and select stalks and seedlings potted in varied household containers, and cleaning his implements with silence that kept himself content in the focus.

Some days Naruto disturbed Sasuke, some days he opted to watch him work. The quiet used to be unbearable since it bored him to death. Those were the times when he strove to draw over, forcibly and by whatever means of strength in faith, the state of things and conditions that he believed in and willed himself to have. They always talked with their fists and some things get through with that, some things don't. When Sasuke surrendered his life at the mercy of Naruto's Rasengan, there came an understanding that unpredictability is a course of matters unseen. That the unseen things inside Sasuke are not immediate, perhaps buried in the earth and are now growing healthy leaves and some flowers in its own time.

"Of all your plants," Naruto said, his raspy voice breaking the silence. "That one's the weirdest." He pointed at the spread of flat circular leaves floating in a rusty bedpan.

Sasuke was turning the soil over on his flowering prickly plant, carefully mixing it with dried dung fertilizer. He patted the soil firm before he took a gander where Naruto pointed. "That's not weird. It's yet to bloom, obviously."

"I got the feeling that might be the case." Naruto scratched the back of his head, smiling sheepishly. "I think the water's making it weak. There's just too much it's drowning," he said, quite sure of himself.

Sasuke almost rolled his eyes, his right brow raised condescendingly. "It's a lotus."

Naruto neighed in shock and pored over the dwarfish stalk in a haste. "I know lotus lives in water and all but this is too small! I've seen lotus but they're big!" He gestured a size with a claw of his hand. "I think like this. Or something like this."

Sasuke grabbed Naruto's wrist when he tried to poke on the closed bud. "This is off-limits. Lotus are not expected to bloom on the first year using seeds. Naturally, the leaves take precedence but more flowering stalks will come up. You just don't see it. Just you wait till I give it more fertilizer and you'll swallow your words."

Naruto gulped and grinned because it sounded like a threat. "I see, I see. So you're saying the leaves are like old people but the flower's still a baby, right? It's been a baby forever. That kinda sucks."

"Shut up, _dobe_." He lightly smacked Naruto's head with the back of hand shovel. "I'm going back to work."

Sasuke removed a glove and proceeded to examine the leaves of his violets, his head held high like the daimyo going out on a parade to see the welfare of his flowering subjects. Silence hovered again like the passing cloud on the fair sunny sky above them. Naruto stood and his hands bulged out his cargo pockets.

"Hey Sasuke, I was wondering… Now that you're married, you're not leaving Konoha like you said you would, are you?—after the lilies are fully bloomed."

Spanned across the entire length before them, extending far beyond they could see, are easter white lilies in their full glorious, splendor, fully embracing, breathing the tender warmth of the sun, down to the tiniest curved tip of their stretched leaves.

"Seems to me like it can't get any better than that… _Teme_ , I think you did great… Do you still…"

Sasuke paused for a second, sharp raven fringes covering his eyes, before cleanly snapping away a yellow leaf from the liquorice mint, his fast hands too powerful for the delicate stem. "If Hinata thinks I should then I will."

"Are you serious?!..." All those years of hapless pursuit and near-death experiences, when all it takes for Sasuke to stay is Hinata. "Unbelievable! Hypothetically, just hypothetically, if she asked you to stay, way back then—had she been there right from the beginning—"

"I chose the path Itachi had set out for me," Sasuke said in a louder contrast. "I never had thoughts of running away from that. Nothing could deter me. There was nothing to consider." He rearranged a couple of scorpion grasses below to the top shelf, slightly turning the holed cans at a desired angle for light. "We're fine the way it is. I'd rather she never knew me well. Who she is right now belongs to the present. And I won't ask for anything more."

つづく

* * *

Dokufuku Mochiin Corner! 田

Thanks to everyone who left reviews and added this story to their favorite /follow lists especially to dear guest who I can't PM. I was utterly flattered but your reviews gave DM life! Btw, see how I changed my name a bit? Well, a smart kid from my human family peeked at me viewing my profile in my phone, and while I was able grab it away as fast as I could with a matching obvious lie that it wasn't mine (YEAH! I scare myself sometimes), I fear they'd search me up with something like "Dsdfedf Mochi fanficnet" (coz smart kid loves mochi but didn't know the bigger sort) and google would suggest Daifuku Mochi. Now that's very close and I'll be dead.

Want Red White Lotus part 1? (IT'S NOT COMING OUT UNTIL-lols) I ask six readers to name one favorite flower in the review section (nothing redundant please). No biggie but I will use it for a special purpose.

 **UPDATE:** (5/18/18)

My flowers are finally complete! I decided five is already plenty.

SliverKitsune2017 - rose

College n Curls - hydrangea (big leaf)

neashia92 - sunflower

pro-uchiha - peony

dear guest - dahlia (arabian nights)

Thanks a lot guys! These flowers will be shared to many as the story ends. lols. fufufu

* * *

After FLGW, I'm planning on writing a prequel (with FLGW fillers, so it's like FLGW from a different perspective except that it's not) entitled "Chestnut Blossoms". A majority will be told from Sasuke's POV and the center of the story is Sasuke's adventures, his love life (?), and various encounters with different kinds of people.


	28. XXIII

Sasuke made his way out quickly through swamped depression and sprawling rock formations. Thread-like traps spun on every turn and he recoiled at the thought of it clinging to Hinata. She had fallen asleep. If she were seeing her memories, she could be dreaming. If they're his, then absolute nightmares and that didn't settle well with him. He cut the travel short as he flickered to the portal's mouth in sight.

Soon as he passed the other end of the portal, the greenish light pulsated and turned white. He thought that was strange for a second but decided not to dwell on the matter as he ran out the cave and carefully set Hinata down under the grassy shade of a chestnut tree, checking for pebbles lying on the ground that could hurt her skull.

"Hinata." He shook her gently. "Hinata." His eyes narrowed. "Impossible."

Those cave traps weren't supposed to possess long lasting potency. Once they were out he expected its effects to wear off. He pried her eyes open and activated his Sharingan to counter _genjutsu_ but all he could see was blank darkness. Sasuke tried again but to no avail. His heart clashed against his throat as he shot a light current on the center of her palms. Leaning his forehead against hers, he called for Hinata more firmly and still no response.

He whacked the chestnut bole. "This is why you should've listened!"

Dead leaves fell on her black dress and magpies croaked, flying from the quaked foliage, but she didn't hear a sound.

* * *

Hinata woke to a balmy summer weather. Tall fir trees flanked in long rows along the paved concrete path. Soft sunshine shapes were casted on black Hyuuga ceremonial robes soberly parading. Awkward silence plagued the bride and groom in front, their heads straightforward, not sparing each other a glance.

It was her wedding again. Only she's not her former antsy self but an onlooker.

The Hinata from that time wore a crane brocaded _shiro-uchikake_ spiked with subtle glimmers caught by specks of light. Compared to Sasuke's cool, she almost had a constipated look on her face. Hinata smiled wistfully walking beside herself, aware of the tsunamis and earthquake somersaulting inside her stomach.

"So it's my memories…" She sighed, effete thumbs fiddling in disappointment.

The desire to see Sasuke's memories wasn't conjured in the spur of the moment. When opportunity presented itself, she merely grabbed, greedier than she'd like to admit, because he'll never be the type to say and she's never so bold to ask of his experiences flat out. Being apart made her fonder, more curious—frustrated even. They love each other but he remained a mystery. When she sorely missed him, there wasn't enough to remember.

Growing ruefully familiar with watching the skies alone at night made one wonder why stars exist: reasons for the way he looked at her the first time; why he planted white thousands of a childish fantasy to deal with loss; and how with the same mouth that kisses her, speak words that draw on the self-loathing betrayal had caused him, hiding those scars when they're together so she doesn't see.

… " _Scum like me can't possibly love. What made you think it has something to do with me?"_

… " _You'll get to experience the life of a traitor without friends or family at your side. The redemption you'll find in the hate of their once trusting eyes."_

She, on the other hand, was in-love but left alone confused about the small being that's re-shaping her life. At the elders' insistence, she stopped working at the hospital after the first trimester and refrained taking missions; all the vomiting she had to endure caused servants trouble at times because she retched cleaning after herself; sweet red beans and cinnamon buns turned overpoweringly saccharine; and when it got too hot and she's too tired but couldn't sleep with cramps in her legs, she secretly reverts to a five year old wishing for _okaa-san_ , but she didn't have that too.

She hoped to see Sasuke's mind because then maybe she'd stop feeling like something's lacking; that she didn't know him enough; that she'll never guess his next big step and she'd be left hanging.

As the wedding ceremony proceeded to the drinking of _sake_ , after Sasuke's turn, her red lips perched on the white cup's rim. The sound of her gulps buoyed up a rising darkness.

Hinata's eyes darted warily. Activating her Byakugan, she saw nothing. A slight panic surfaced, feeling blind and trapped.

Gasps…

A heavy breath…

… " _Hina…"_

White smoke rose up, a frothy swelling, swirling to curves into a figure. A naked woman. It crawled to the bed where a vulnerable Sasuke slept, arching against him.

… " _Hina-ta," he softly said, hot, pained, and desirous._

This is NOT her memory.

With face cerise and boiling hot, tightly cupped hands covered her mouth trying to cover her eyes but couldn't as she attempted to discern if such levels of wild ever compared to her.

… _The small room was dark and his sheathed chokuto was by the nightstand. The light outside his windows were skewed rectangles against the wooden floor. Alone lying on a single size bed, a weak pant lolled between Sasuke's lips. He pulled himself up, now aware of what transpired under his pajama pants and groaned, throwing his head back on the pillow._

… " _Idiot," he muttered. "Get a grip."_

Hinata's burnt cheeks started to cool, flattered and a bit happy on the inside. For what it's worth, she wanted to see more. _Of him_. Not her naked self in a perverted dream! Feeling more blood circling her cheeks, she started fanning herself.

In a blink, it was suddenly morning. Hinata recognized the shelves and repurposed kitchen wares for pots behind Sasuke's shed. The fields, however, were comparably lacking from what she saw during her last visit.

… " _You'll have to marry my daughter."_

Hiashi stood in front but he doesn't see her. He was in Uchiha land but his far-reaching gaze across the breadth of the green sprouting field was as one who surveys his own. Grave lines on the broad, important flesh of his forehead mildly hinted of a troubled mind.

… " _The elders will certainly refuse. There are men outside Konoha asking for her hand in marriage offering expensive dowry just when we're rebuilding from war. If you don't put in as much as they do then I'm afraid, what you're asking is impossible. Don't concern yourself. Naruto and the others have nothing to worry about. I will always ensure her well-being."_

Sasuke stood a polite distance behind Hiashi, his hair almost after-shower flat. An easiness settled on the pale curve of his elbow propped against a digging bar and his clothes hung loosely suited for work, showing majestic collarbones sheen with perspiration.

… " _Count me in. They only need to see me as a profitable prospect, isn't it? I don't really care."_

… " _Hn. Surprising," replied Hiashi. "But this is marriage, Sasuke. It will tie you down, you'll have responsibilities you didn't have before_ … _Besides, I've heard about the wife of the Daimyo's eldest having set her eyes on you. She was allowed anything, wasn't she?"_

Hinata tilted her head. What is her father talking about?

…. _"What I really mean is, the affairs of the Hyuuga is none of your business." Hiashi stared flatly._

One of those and Hinata never dare say a word.

… " _Even so." Sasuke's voice was firm, dogged as someone who puts their life on the line. "I accept, Hiashi… san."_

Her heart skipped a beat. Across Hinata, her father looked amused, his arms folded comfortably.

… " _That is indeed the first step. I wonder what your parents would've said. Their youngest is serious about getting married like this. I don't know how much you're willing to tolerate but my daughter will be grateful to remain in Konoha, unsealed, because of you."_

… _He wandered past Hiashi and chucked the digging bar into soft humus. "You asked before if I planted for a woman…" He scooped a handful of soil and crushed and sieved it through his gloves. "It's Hinata."_

… _Hiashi looked at the other man in survey and took a moment to himself. "I admit this is beyond me. My daughter has grown to be a capable Shinobi in her own right but to think that she'd catch your attention in such a way."_

"Can you believe it, otou-sama? There's a man willing to take the trouble." Hinata's soft giggles echoed. "All that for me." They say the past belongs to the past but it doesn't take away the swell of pride when anyone would never take what she said so seriously.

… " _You never told her, did you?" Hiashi asked, his brows furrowed in a pained manner as though the question concerned him more than it concerned Sasuke._

 _... "I never had intentions. I don't need validation to know I'm the last person in her mind. But if she can stomach someone like me… then I'll marry her."_

"Those words…" Stomach. Like he was a disgusting thing enough to make people retch. Like he was someone she had to endure being with. "I-it's true that I loved Naruto-kun b-but you didn't even…." A confusing man, Hinata concluded, confused herself as to why she's feeling this dullness and the earlier tickles lost. This lone gardener with his back fully bent on work. "If I wasn't being married off… what were you planning with the flowers?"

Maybe she knew the answer but doesn't dare give it a name.

Something tugged at her skirt. Startled by another presence, she gasped turning back.

The boy whom other girls in the academy huddled over gossip at lunch breaks stood there. Unruly raven hair bristled the crown of his head down the crease of his spare nape and his cheeks had the faint roundness of peach. Unease rested upon the thin shadows below his brows, too determined, too creased on the delicate flesh.

"Sasuke-kun…"

She has never seen before what she sees now. She wasn't as concerned, unabsorbed. And he wasn't as engrossing. His small mouth was puckered, rebelling, lapped with a young boy's reservation as he sprinted, the back of his legs skinny but well defined.

"W-wait!" She followed him.

The force of wind rolled beneath his arms with pinkish-elbows bait to fish her heart out the melted ribs. He came to an abrupt halt. The raven puff of hair like spring grass turned to the side as he faced a certain direction.

Flowers struck with ethereal light unreal in their whiteness effloresced her panorama. Hinata looked down, shielding the flare with the shade of her hand.

Blood spilled thickly on the ground between her toes: comrades grunting their last breaths, her hands covered with healing chakra losing purpose as life flickered, losing light. But she didn't have time to dwell on uselessness as she turned to another bleeding body, holding the terror of dying in their eyes she could only bite her tongue. The dark red sight shook her for a moment, pounding inside her skull as she skimmed upwards against the flow.

Gushing at the middle of his chest dyed his gray _haori_ red.

The grim curve of Sasuke's spine slumped against the willow's rigid bark. Her vision swirled and her knees dropped beside him. Droopy branches sketched waves of soft gray hues against the blank slate of his face, his absent eyes looking far, his lips bust. It's like losing Neji again, but he doesn't speak. No final murmurs. He doesn't struggle for life nor was there grace in departure that Neji had. Only apathy in the bruised slopes of his face, like he'd always known and this is how he'd pictured his end to be.

She can't touch him but she pretended to run a smooth caress on his cheek. The pain that twists inside is this moment of dire nothingness. How he didn't cling to even the slightest passing of life as though he had nothing left behind.

… " _Sasuke!"_

Naruto screams in the background, but he couldn't be found.

…" _Teme! Why did you do that?! Dammit! Sasuke!... Dammit! Look at me!"_

A strong gust of wind howled and the willow branches swayed berserk. Sasuke stirred, as unhurried as a dying person could. His cut open knuckles began to reach out somewhere in front of him. Squall blasted in, slamming Hinata's hair on her face. It was dark again. But she stayed kneeled, her eyes wide, taken aback.

Not _nindou_ or a concrete reason for living.

What made Sasuke stay… That was her, smiling among the lilies in a Shinobi Allied Forces vest sodden with dirt and smears of blood.

He had thought of her this much. Strongly that he bested death. If it stayed as merely physical between them, if she didn't say the words at the bridge over Nakano River, would he let it be that she didn't love him back? Was he really alright with that?

Gradually, a brume of smudged whitish flare appeared from a distance, turning clearer.

Black hair… A familiar face fashioned like cracked, sere clay from the Endo Tensei during the war with peels of his leaden skin like moths disintegrating from his body.

Uchiha Itachi.

… " _I failed... I won't put myself above you and tell you this and that, it's too late... So this time for once, let me tell you one small truth… It's all right if you never forgive me, but no matter what you become, I will always love you."_

"They made Itachi traitor." Sasuke's gruff voice erupted behind her.

… _His face was painted dark as he quietly wept. "My brother didn't deserve that life… I hated him, vowed to kill him... You know the pride I felt when he failed to gouge my eye?" He bitterly laughed. "All along he just let me."_

Soft fire light frolicked behind him and his shadow loomed over like a giant cloud. Another Hinata sat next to him on the other side. Serenity dictated her younger features but she regarded him with blasé, her hand on top of his clenched one.

… " _You must hate me now," he muttered so low it passed whistling through his teeth. "You must want me dead. But I didn't come this far just to let it all pass. Being reborn from the cesspool that is the true face of this world, the moment I killed my brother, everything that comes after is easy._ _Someone has to pay. You see my hands trembling as it's easier to take a life?"_

Shortly, his shoulders calmed from their slump. His head hung alert, waiting for something to pass.

… " _Karin," he said, his tone now tempered, cold and flat. "What is it?"_

A bespectacled red-haired woman stood a few feet away behind Sasuke, unbuttoning her blouse. The heels of her palms dropped on the rocky floor as she crawled and rested her chest on his back. Hinata sprang up, turning away. It's not like she can do anything about it. This something of the past. But still she hurt.

… " _Even if it's just tonight… Do you want to take your mind off all these?" Karin carefully traced a finger along his sleeve._

… " _We have a long day tomorrow. Rest while you can."_

Hinata's hands fell away from nearing halfway to her ears. She never had to take this kind of rejection but the longing in the woman's face... Sakura used to have that look. She also knew it, looking at the mirror when he stopped sending letters. It's when you feel close, that you understand, but the true depth lies somewhere else he'd never show.

… _Karin paused for a small while and slowly removed herself, fabric shuffling as she buttoned down. "Hey… Who is it that you see in this secret habit of yours?"_

… _Sasuke turned a pensive gaze at Karin._ _"No one." His eyes cut back to the cave's innermost hallow untouched by light. "It's not like anyone knowing make it more real."_

Her throat dried up at his words.

 _I want to be important to you; I want to be beside you…_ While she pined for another, why did he hope for her there? He wasn't even in Konoha then. Why was it her of all people? And the hurt of knowing this felt like punishment. Because she knew this loneliness—to want to be near.

His silhouette narrowed to grids and moonlit illumined squares of a paper door obstructing her sight. Brusquely yanked over to the new place, she found herself panting with cold sweat all over, her heart thumping hard near convulsion.

The doors parted. Blood contrasted against the white papers and two bodies lay on the ground wallowed in blood.

" _Okaasan! Otousan!"_ she screamed. But it wasn't her. The body she was in fell without her willing it to.

Wrapped in slanted light and shadows stood Itachi, a bloodied sword in hand.

"You're weak, Sasuke."

The scene shifted, another place, another people, mercilessly slashed by the sword, blood curdling screams scratching roughly from her throat at mangled bodies thrown up against each other, their gaping lifeless eyes condemning Sasuke's reflection.

"You're not even worth killing, foolish little brother. Foster your hatred… Despise me… Surviving in such an unsightly manner as this…" Bright red glinted in the dark, opening one by one, becoming too many to count on Itachi's shadowed form. "By all means flee, cling to your wretched life." Crows tore away like red flashing wraiths swiftly attacking her.

* * *

Tree tops bended as they zoomed past. Garuda's pinions spiked and furled, soundlessly landing. Hinata whimpered, her peaceful face disturbed. She was sweating too much. Sasuke touched her forehead with the back of his hand and found her cold while the sun was glaring down. Konoha is silent for the noisy village that it was, so when he heard cheers coming out from the direction of the mountain shelter, he knew the help he needed has to be there.

When Sasuke appeared at the premises, his wife unconscious in his arms, the alarmed congregation met him with accusing stares, some with their weapons raised.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura hurried to his aid which offered a bit of a relief while his mind was jumping to overdrive. "What happened?" She proceeded to check for pulse. "She had a miscarriage?!" After feeling Hinata's stomach, her mouth warped oddly. "What the—"

"She's not waking up," confirmed Sasuke. What happened earlier was definitely Hinata seeing his memories. "It's genjutsu. But something _else_ is keeping her inside."

Hanabi eased out of the crowd, immediately making a headway seeing her sister. She studied Hinata intently, observing what Sakura was doing. When Hinata didn't wake to her own prodding, she glared at Sasuke. "I trusted you to bring her back. What's the meaning of this?"

Sasuke couldn't readily answer. He'll never say it's because Hinata insisted on seeing his memories. Before a biased party, that sounds like mere justification. He won't stand up to that. He doesn't know what he'll do if Hinata comes up a person who spurns the fact she married him because she finally saw how different they truly are but he needed her to be conscious. Nothing else mattered. He shifted her more securely in his arms.

"Her baby—How did she do this?!" Sakura asked, leading Sasuke to the shelter's entrance. "We need Tsunade-sama." The people parted in spite of their heated glares.

"It's a seal that the will of Hamura taught her, whatever that is," answered Hanabi. Her brows furrowed deeper. "Is this Toneri's doing?"

"No." Sasuke deliberated as he gently laid Hinata on the clinic's bed. "Not directly."

Hanabi whisked her sister's hair away, almost tugging the pillow completely only to find nothing on her nape. Wet fringes clung to Hinata's forehead so Sasuke groped on his missing belt bag for a clean wipe, finical of his dirty hands. He frowned, annoyed at himself for mindlessly laying his things on a coffee table at a dilapidated inn just as his sister-in-law had summoned.

When Tsunade arrived, the former Hokage concluded they must observe her first before doing anything.

Sasuke blocked her way. His nerves ticked in agitation. "If you're really the best this shitty village has to offer, then what you're saying doesn't make any fucking sense."

Tsunade folded her arms firm with muscle despite her age. " _Ha?_ Don't get too cocky, you brat. If your useless eyes can't do anything about it, then don't come here expecting something immediate with that rotten attitude of yours." She bristly elbowed him aside and yelled for everyone in the clinic to hear, "Tell the Yamanaka to send someone in and see if they can help."

"I'll call Ino, _shishio_ ," said Sakura as she hurried her way out, but not before taking a glance at Sasuke, unmoving and dejectedly slouched against the wall where he got shoved.

* * *

Concrete walls.

No light.

No windows. Hinata was out of breath, tremors still coursing her body.

Blood and more blood.

Few moments ago, Sasuke stabbed Sakura. He also attacked Naruto with pure killing intent. The way he smothered Orochimaru within asphyxiating insides showed his eyes cold and superior, beholding all things mere dust below his feet.

Uchiha Sasuke was a terrible and fearsome man.

But now, he wheezed against her mouth. Bloodshot Sharingan eyes stern with fright seeming like they see through her, as black marks wormed on his face sweating bullets with convoluted veins cascading down his cheekbones and neck.

… " _Sasuke, you there?" said a man holding a candle behind the small glass window on the metal door. "If you still can comprehend a bit, we're proceeding with the third phase now. I'm sending it in."_

The ground shook. At the far end of the frigid room, the wall slowly lifted up. Agonized cries merged, respiring through the dark conduit. Slowly with dangling tangles of slime, a hulked sanguine beast with red carnage eyes came to illumined view.

Hinata gasped in terror, her frantic feet pushing her back up against the wall. She had seen worse, she kept telling herself. But the sense of confinement, of not seeing anything past the beast and the walls and the uncaring spectator behind the door, every corner of this place had hopelessness spelled out.

A morphed Sasuke rolled out ponderously, heaving like a beast himself. Lighting shrilled in his hands and the too agile monster pounced, tossing him around with rows of razor sharp teeth ready to dig at his throat. He caught its jaws but the creature merely whipped its neck, growling the depth of jagged caves and wild wasps in melee. The soles of his bleeding feet dug on the concrete surface. His arms struggled with the build-up of force and he roared as he tore the huge beast in half.

… " _Wonderful, Sasuke. Truly wonderful."_

The man's clapping from behind the door startled Hinata, the sound of rend flesh still fresh in her ears.

… " _Only you have made this serum effective so far. Orochimaru-sama will be truly delighted with this new discovery."_

… _His shoulders sagged with blood dripping down his arms. "This is useless… you fucker." Sasuke fell prostrate._

The man by the door retreated and the light ebbed away from the room. Hinata couldn't move, still shivering in shock. She gulped, calming her breath. Sasuke's grunts were pained, his breathing shallow. The other Hinata materialized, glowing in the dark, and held his hand which clenched tightly around hers. But Hinata could see it wasn't really there.

… " _Shut… up." He could barely mouth the words. "Don't… say… any… thing."_

She didn't even say anything though her toes froze and her elbows seemed forever bent. Even the other Hinata. As she watched their consoling figures, him now fully human, darkness and light tumbled...

Swirled...

Dispersed…

Stars.

A strange hush came about, though her crazed heartbeat still throbbed inside her ears. Stridulating crickets and the hoot of the owl were warm sounds, so warm that she was almost tear-eyed as cold numb breath expulsed out of her shrunk lungs. Leaves rustled from the passing breeze as she got up. She found herself on top of a tree.

A familiar formation of stars.

The beginning of Milky Way crossing by the particular head shapes on a mountain range.

Polaris opposite a deathly dark forest.

This has to be Konoha!

Gazing down, she found the Sasuke whom she noticed for being Naruto's teammate. Dark blue shirt. Knee-length shorts. His hands formed hand seals just going through the motions practicing his speed, and his left leg dangled the bough. He looked up the sky with a brood that characterized his young face. Something scuffled below the surrounding brushes and he jerked up, quickly alerted with his gaze intent on some part of the lake. Hinata decided to climb down to take a look. Surprisingly, she merely floated down with ease.

She knew this spot all too well. On the opposite side of the small lake, her eleven-year-old self was taking off her clothes so it won't get wet and dipped into the cold water for a secret late evening practice.

The cricket sounds grew louder. She was lost in the reflection of the moon on the water, convened dripping up, rippling as her younger self shifts her footing under the water.

Hinata just let everything sink in further for a while, where she is and who's up there.

She tilted her head up, her hands cornered on the sides of her mouth. "Sasuke-kun. Uchiha Sasuke-kun."

She tried to press her itching lips but ended up breathing out a laugh.

"You naughty."

Moisture budded at the corner of her eyes. It's unbelievable how she wanted to laugh, so loud, it doesn't matter even if it's forced. For once, it's nothing grim. For once, it's childlike.

"Peeping tom!"

Shaky fingers covered her mouth as she laughed a little more, making her stomach feel weak. The oblivious boy stood closer against the trunk to hide his presence.

"How often are you here? How come you're never caught?"

Water needles surrounded her younger self. Some dripped back into the whirling water, failing to fully materialize. She huffed and all the needles dissipated. There's a reason why Hinata trained secretly, away from Hyuuga surveillance as far she was concerned at girlhood.

"She's not yet any good, isn't she?" Hinata looked up and Sasuke was still there. He told her once that he liked her as a child. She couldn't fully believe it then. "Why do you watch her?" She floated up and put her faded hand over his chest. "Years into the future and you still keep this from me."

… " _That's it," he muttered, the words mere small movements of his lips. "You're doing great directing the water."_

Hinata's eyes widened.

… " _Breathe…"_

And breathe she did.

… " _Focus on solidif..." He gulped in anticipation. "Keep… it… stable," he slowly said and flinched when her chakra needles dropped again. "Even when it hurts, go past that. You can do it."_

His secret words shot straight to her heart.

* * *

Sakura finally came with Ino and Naruto. While the two women hurried to Hinata, Naruto opted to stay with Sasuke outside.

"You got Tsunade _baba_ really angry," said Naruto, resting his back against the wall like Sasuke. "I just heard but… you didn't have to curse at her like that ya know. She's really old and her feelings are easily hurt."

Sasuke merely snorted and ignored him. Who cares about that? If Ino is unsuccessful, he has to find another way. Quick.

"I can't believe you said all that in front of Hinata when you're such a pretentious wussy who's too careful when talking to her," Naruto unwittingly pointed out but his meaning was lost to Sasuke whose eyes caught Hanabi and her pompous grandmother with Hiashi going out of the clinic.

He didn't like how those two Hyuuga females looked at him. Then he remembered he lived with them and his sour mood worsened.

"Sasuke," Hiashi called but Naruto went up to him first.

"See that scary guy over there," Naruto pretended to whisper to Hiashi but Sasuke could hear him very clearly. "I think it's better if we don't disturb him now."

* * *

Uchiha Sasuke was a shy boy. He didn't blush or fidget with his fingers but the two of them were like two peas in a pod. A girl pea and a boy pea who never had a lot to talk about.

He ate rice balls at the second floor by the window in the hallway of the old annex in the Academy with her usual spot during lunch under the canopy in sight. Hinata recalled eating there for greater chances of seeing Naruto running out in the open and her day would be complete.

Once when she was nine or ten, she fed a brazen sickly cat with Naruto's eyes which she hid at an abandoned hut because Kou convinced she had no time for pets. While the moon peaked and most children are sent to bed, she saw Sasuke train at the blanketed cat's watch until he succumbed to beaten slumber. What the girls fawned over at the academy was the result of this self-abuse.

Hinata observed this one particular memory. Perhaps she was seven, first year in academy, he stayed behind peeking by the door as though waiting. When he noticed she was almost done wiping the black board, he ran away. While she timidly ate at her lone corner wearing mourning clothes, he sulked at her at the back row with a barely grazed rice ball in hand.

For Hinata, that wasn't a good year either.

Prior to that, her mother who always thought of others asked her to give tomatoes to class, to one boy especially whose parents just died. Hinata obeyed even if Sasuke turned to a scary kid who just ignored her. Because, surely, she believed then, if she was a good and generous child, her mother would recuperate. When her petitions went unanswered, the tomato plants died too.

Surprisingly, he actually munched the tomatoes with puffed cheeks, casually spying behind brushes on her seven-year-old self coming out the school gate with Kou carrying her bag.

… " _Why does she give tomatoes every day? We're not even friends. I don't want to be her friend."_

… " _Yeah, her eyes are so creepy. My mother said not to eat anything she gives because I could get sick."_

… " _Yuck! They don't clean their house?"_

… " _My mother said her mother has a sickness that could make me sick too."_

… " _Those." Sasuke interrupted. The girls suddenly had moony eyes with blushes on their cheeks. "I'll take them." He grabbed the fruits left on their tables, sulking, and the girls nodded absently._

From the classroom, the scenery pulled Hinata into a cloudy afternoon.

Raven spring grass hair bobbed as Sasuke climbed up the stairs, each step seeming to dampen his spirit. After missing a few doors, he stopped in front of the last green one with packed food on the side.

Footsteps closed in. It was a younger Hiashi and by Hinata's association, more scary.

… " _Why are you starving yourself?"_

Her father handed Sasuke a wrapped square bento. He ignored him, slightly turning his head the other way. Hiashi hunkered down, putting what he just gave Sasuke in place of the bento boxes already there.

… " _You're angry?" he asked devoid of emotion. "Starved soldiers die in battle. They can't even stay angry. Mikoto always had sense to keep herself strong. Think about what you're doing right now."_

Her father is severely strict even to other people's children. But she watched as he faded from view, the fabric wrapped around decks of uneaten bento clutched by his rigid hand.

After a few key turns, Sasuke opened the creaky door to a room filled with silence. He took out notebooks and scrolls from his sling bag and set it on the table, not paying heed to a tomato that rolled out on the floor. Hinata settled down, gazing at his brows furrowed deep in concentration as he scribbled across his notes.

"Such nice letters," she said, wanly smiling. "You have beautiful _kanji_ but you wrote neatly even at this age." It's not like he'd hear but he was such a hard worker, studying as soon as he returned home.

His stomach suddenly growled loud and he dropped his forehead on the table, curling his arms around his stomach. He took a drink from the tap, standing on tiptoes with brown circles at the balls of his feet but the growling continued. After squeezing his tummy for a few more minutes, he gave in to the new bento box Hiashi left outside his door.

Steam rose from the newly cooked rice, smoked mackerel, and sautéed vegetables, and Sasuke looked strangely invigorated for someone who initially refused. He sipped on the soup in the canister before carefully pouring it on the rice. At last, he ate with unnatural caution.

The tap dripped loudly. Half the room was dark and half was pierced by undisturbed light from the lone window by his bed, dust motes freely flying around. The ticking clock dictated constant stillness like a master.

"What's the matter?" Each swallow seemed to take more effort and Sasuke gaged, his small shoulders shaking as he tried to hold it in.

He ran and sank his head on the toilet bowl. Like being eaten, a force too strong for his body to contain wracked and reduced him to shudders, the toilet bowl seeming to swallow more of him. When he washed his mouth, his knees wobbled pushing his short height over the taller sink, leaving the tap running as fat tears silently rolled down his cheeks.

Trying to eat again, he stuffed his mouth with rice, a tight fist on the chopsticks, roughly wiping salty drops away his scratched red cheeks. He chewed fast, swallowed fast, guzzled miso soup to drown his throat.

After a while, a languid square of the somnolent sun settled upon them like a quilt covering their heads on the floor. White wallpapers were stabbed and torn and scratched till his nails bled; the bento spilled, the table overturned; crumpled scrolls and notebooks spread like shot doves with graphite smears on their wings. Miso left a dried trail on his sniffling tiny nose as his dulled teary gaze trained in at an empty direction, turning away from the puddle of vomit. He had thrown a fit over it, shouting his brother's name as the vilest curse.

But no one heard. No one except Hinata, far too late.

Now the two of them have eyes that mirrored each other, their short breaths softening the stringent ticking of the clock as she ghosted a touch on his face. She couldn't even rub his back or hug him. But if she could only send gentleness to this moment, warmth, love… A mother's comfort to her baby.

" _Hiiraita-aa …"_ She slowly sang a precious song from memory, breathing through hiccups. _"Hiraita…"_

" _Nan no hana ga… hiraita?"_ Will it reach him, right from the past? _"Renge no hana ga hi… raita…"_ Just as his words from the past reached her. _"Hiraita to omottara…"_

… _He limply grabbed at the abandoned tomato and raised it above him, the passiveness of his paled face showing no expectations._

…. _"You're weak… Useless!" He crushed the tomato with renewed anger. The juice dripped. Blankly, he licked his lips and stared at the damaged pulp in his hand, deep in thought. He brought it to his mouth and bit. He chewed and waited. There was almost a breath of awe as he swallowed the last squashed tidbit without throwing up._

" _Itsu no ma ni ka… "_ Her voice choked. _"Tsubonda…"_ Pangs of guilt invaded Hinata as Sasuke tossed his bag upside down and nothing came out. She shut her eyes tight and the tears could barely amount to the hurt that festered inside.

" ** _Tsubonda, tsubonda… Nan no hana ga tsubonda?"_** A tender, mellifluous voice.

Like a fish out of water, Hinata's breath got caught in her throat. She rolled out and cautiously peered through tangles of hair.

" ** _Renge no hana ga tsubonda…"_** The lull of soothing waves. **_"Tsubonda to omottara… Itsu no ma ni ka hiraitta."_**

That same voice singing the same song. That kind smile, those understanding eyes.

"Okaa-san… Why…" She gaped, lost in the moment but when her mother sat beside her and ran soothing caresses on her head, Hinata snuggled to her mother's lap. There, it was alright to be small. An excuse to not knowing.

"How could I say I love him, okaa-san?"

つづく

* * *

Dokufuku Mochiin Corner! 田

Thanks to oneklm, SilverKitsune2017-senpai, College n Curls, and neashia92 for the reviews and the flowers.

Translation to the song sung by Hinata ( www. mamalisa ?t=esp=4986):

 **Open up, open up,**

 _(Hiraita, hiraita)_

 **What flower has opened up?**

 _(Nan no hana ga hiraita?)_

 **A lotus flower has opened up,**

 _(Renge no hana ga hiraita)_

 **Just when I thought it opened up,**

 _(Hiraita to omottara)_

 **Before I knew it, it closed up.**

 _(Itsu no ma ni ka tsubonda)_

The second verse sung by her mother:

 **Closed up, closed up**

 _(Tsubonda, tsubonda)_

 **What flower has closed up?**

 _(Nan no hana ga tsubonda?)_

 **A lotus flower has closed up**

( _Renge no hana ga tsubonda)_

 **Just when I though it closed up,**

 _(Tsubonda to omottara)_

 **Before I knew it, it opened up.**

 _(Itsu no ma ni ka hiraitta)_

Hiraita Hiraita is a song sung by children as they play a game where they hold hands in a circle and by the end of the first verse they gather close and crouch in the center. That's closed up. By the end of the second verse, they widen the circle and put their hands up like a blooming flower so that's opened up.

Some of you may not know (coz I surely didn't before) but lotus flowers open sometime in the morning and close up by afternoon.


	29. XXIV

_Unsightly as it was for the heiress of a mighty clan, crying was habit. Hinata has always had it since her mother birthed her. It may seem irrelevant, maudlin to most but she felt for almost_ _everything_.

… _When her bereft cousin cried, she ran away one wintry night, blaming herself for his loss and thought it would help. She grieved over the smallest matter as spilling a sack of_ _rice_ _hull on the patio her father had constructed. Because it all boiled down to sinning. Of always coming short._

… " _Okaa-san, does otou-sama hate me?" Hinata asked one afternoon after a day's sparing session with Neji. Both of them were already attending the ninja academy with Neji_ _garnering_ _his teachers' high praises. Dark watermarks decorated her mother's kimono where she had ducked._

… " _Why does_ _Hinata think so?" her mother asked, her non-callous, untrained quaint fingers dabbing swirls of cool herbal ointment on Hinata's sore arms and legs._

… " _He's happy about Neji nii-san but he isn't with me. I gave it my best but..."_

… " _Hinata is a brave girl. Win or lose, she doesn't stop, does she?" Her mother smiled._

… _Hinata nodded but didn't fully believe it, though others are, like that blonde boy who defended her from bullies older than they were. He wasn't great like Neji but he was astoundingly unafraid._

… " _Your otou-sama's happiness is like a flower. If Hinata doesn't stop giving it her best, certainly, time will come. Right now, it's still a baby bud, but soon, it will blossom into a very beautiful flower. I know Hinata will do her best to make that flower grow."_

… _Hinata smiled and nodded vigorously._ _"Please sing the song about the lotus."_

… _The door intrusively slid open revealing a distraught Hyuuga as she caught sight of Hinata. She immediately covered half her face with the sleeve of her kimono and inched away the threshold for good measure. "Hinata-sama! How many times must we say you are not to be in your mother's quarters?!"_

… _Her mother's smiles had always assured Hinata there was nothing to worry about even if she had been wanting to see the baby nursed by someone else in another room. But this time, hacking with a kerchief over her mouth and without indication of a warm parting gaze, her mother drove her away to watch over Hanabi._

… _The servants hauled Hinata to bath and_ _scrubbed hard all over her body_ _. She cried again but not because it hurt. They took away the ointment her mother had put on her._

She missed her a lot. That must be why she's in this dream.

" ** _There, there, brave girl."_**

Hinata sank further into the comfort, her mother's fingers weaving wondrous calm in her hair. "Why did I stop? He liked our tomatoes... When otou-sama had our tomato garden replaced with the koi pond, I didn't even do anything. Because I was always scared. Even if they're just tomatoes, if only I continued giving, then maybe he didn't feel so alone… Can I really say I love him?"

" ** _As long as Kami allows the sun to rise for you, you can chase after who you really are. You can love."_**

"When he stopped writing, I was scared he'd disappear from my life. But from the start, I was the one who hurt him for never noticing. He planted me flowers, a whole field, but never told me as if leaving to fate or chance for me to pass by and see them. Have you ever known such an unselfish man? Was there truly a time when he lived for himself?"

" ** _I see it differently, Hinata. I see fear, shame, guilt; a will weakened by all these. With love, he's caught in-between without certainty. He'll leave you while wanting to stay. He'll say he loves you, yet choose to be away."_**

The rising sensation of a threatened twang sifted through Hinata's fingers, making them clench involuntarily. Because Sasuke, right from the start, had every intention of leaving. In place of his bulldozed clan compound was the flower garden as though a declaration he had nothing left with nothing to return to; someone who comes and goes without a weighty anchor.

"At first I just hoped he'd be kind. And he was. So gentle even… I want to make up for the time I wasn't there for him. I want to comfort him and support him. I want to be a good wife. I want to be just like you who always knew the right things to say," Hinata said.

" ** _Even though your heart longs for something else? More than white flowers; something you can hold on to; something that's warm… Someone who's always there for you."_**

Her ears rang at her mother's insinuation. When she looked up expecting her mother's compassionate gaze, she saw crystalline Byakugan like abysses of pure bright snow gradating to lilac edges. The photographs have slightly faded but her eyes were different from how Hinata remembered them taking her in with something gently burning there like a harmless candle flame.

" ** _Don't you want him to be a changed man? Someone free from darkness, from the nightmares; someone who'll put you over everything else."_** A dainty curve formed on her mother's lips as she took Hinata's right hand. A sparkling orb hovered about and popped like a brilliant bubble on her skin.

" ** _The white lotus seal. So he reveals to you just as you reveal to him, so he'll love just as you intend… So he'll be everything you could ever hope for—cast this upon his heart, lock his darkness away."_**

"Okaa-san… What… is this seal?" A lotus shape glittered at the back of her hand.

She blacked out.

Feeling choked, she sought more breath.

"That's amazing, Ino!" Instead of eyes like thick white snow, big cerulean eyes with hint of worry gazed down at her. "Hinata, you okay?" Naruto asked.

Hinata blinked a few more times, squinting the blurriness away.

"I… I didn't do anything yet," said Ino.

Hinata looked at her hand and there was nothing on it. What a peculiar dream. Her mother wasn't even Kunoichi, how much more a _fuinjutsu_ user. Slowly propping her elbows up, she scanned around from Ino to Naruto who greeted good morning brightly, and then Sakura with a worried look on her face.

"How are you feeling?" the pink-haired medic asked, pressing lightly on Hinata's wrist.

"I think I'm quite alright. When did I get here?" Hinata continued to search around. "Where's—"

"Hinata-nee!" Hanabi burst through the door. "You're finally awake!" With all eyes at her, she faked a cough and sat courtly on Hinata's bed to hold her hand. "I was so worried, Hinata nee-sama. Words don't even begin to—"

"Where's Sasuke-kun?" Hinata reiterated. At this, Hanabi sulked, directing an eye-roll at the clinic's curtained entrance, disdainfully indicating he was outside. In a hurry but with caution, she slid off the bed and searched for her shoes.

"Looking for these?" Hanabi lamely raised a pair of bejewelled flats.

"Those aren't…" The black wedding dress hid her feet. Hinata recalled she didn't have her usual pair. " _Arigatou_ , Hanabi," she said as she slipped into the gaudy pair one after the other.

"It's better if you stay," advised Sakura. "We're not sure what happened. Tsunade-sama would rather that you'd be observed for a while."

"I would like to rest at home." Before taking another step, Hinata turned to them and dipped her head low to apologize for the trouble she caused, assuring them it had been just a _very_ deep sleep. With a plastic smile, she tried to jest, "Did I snore?"

The others merely looked at her trying to figure her out save for Hanabi whose drowsy scowl persisted, saying whatever as she shrugged her lopsided shoulders. "Too much drama happened, 'nata-nee. No one's getting the joke if you're calling it one."

Emerging by the doorway, Sasuke spied at them with an undeniable irk on his face. When Hinata called him, reaching for his arm, he went away. For the first time, he's ignoring her and she didn't even know why.

From the mountain shelter to the rice fields, until just another bend and they'd reach the moor trimmed by a thick bamboo forest hedging her father's garden lot, he walked ahead of her. Nevertheless, every time she slowed down, he'd look over his shoulder, reminiscent of how it was before they married, with him awkwardly adjusting his longer strides just to keep by her side but still maintaining a good distance.

Hinata allowed her mind to wander past the alternations of shade and sunshine running on her feet, noticing how her line of sight cuts straight her toes and suddenly realized the missing bump halfway through.

 _The baby!_

Forming seals with her hands, she mentally chanted the reverse of the seal to undo it as per Hamura's instruction, guardedly recalling the proper sequence. Soon as she laid her hands flat on her belly, she felt a stirring inside her gut. Vertigo struck and she hurled as her vision started to get awry. The last thing she saw was Sasuke closing in.

"Breathe," he said, holding her to him. Her mouth was open against his chest, her eyes shut, nauseous of the lights flashing at the back of her eyes.

Weariness settled in but so did relief at the wiggling tiny life. She rubbed circles over her belly, assuring the baby of her presence. He must've felt lonely sealed for a long while.

"You keep doing this lately." Sasuke patted her back slowly, pressing on some pressure points. "Is this better?"

Hinata nodded, still leaned into him. "Doing what?" She breathed in the strong taste of smoke and sun burnt odor from his clothes.

"Causing me worries."

She looked up at him. "But you do the same," she answered, as tenderly as she could so it doesn't come across as censure.

"You have no idea what it does to me," he said petulantly, not looking at her in the eye.

He was a beautiful child and his formerly small puckered mouth had matured to a thin line concealing much. But now she knew of the secret gazes fixed at her. She must let him know how she would respond; her present self to him in the past, to the days to come, to all of him.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. Her eyelids turned heavy, the chirping of the birds intensified, slowed—the still, frozen moment into a kiss.

"What did you see?" The flinty tone of his voice chased her drowsiness away. She could see the agile pulse on his neck, and his heart must be throbbing just as much.

"I-I didn't see your memories."

His eyes narrowed, unconvinced. He grabbed her hand and as he stepped into stride, Hinata didn't follow.

"I saw you… as a boy. Eating tomatoes." This seemed to catch him off-guard as the tension in him eased up, slightly tipping his head to the side, urging her to continue. "You loved tomatoes since you were small… That's all I saw."

"Hn," he grunted, his eyes returning to its pensive rest. He lifted her too easily and she yelped, blushing.

"I'm heavy!" In her current body, she did gain some weight. Her pointless claim was casually brushed aside as he maintained a steady pace, not once adjusting her in place for his arms never came loose.

When they arrived home, he laid her in bed and stared at her, as removed as a visitor in their own room. He didn't take off his khaki poncho or place his sword on the stand above the bookshelves.

"Want to take a bath? I'll prepare it for you." She tried to get up but he stopped her by the shoulders.

"Rest," he said.

"A-are you hungry? I suddenly wanted to make tomato salad." She didn't like lying in bed with him staring down and too swaddled to be comfortable; too dressed to stay.

"Tomatoes weren't the only thing you saw." There was finality to his statement. The more she speaks, more gets revealed so she shook her head and it made her very dizzy. He smirked at her moaning as she rubbed the pain in her head away.

"That's what you get for lying." He cleared away strands of hair that covered her eyes. "I'll find out."

Hinata saw bright red starting to gleam from his right eye. Weakly pushing him away, she said, "I-if y-you'll use it… I-I'll… I'll get m-mad." When he didn't move away she insisted, "M-my dress is a bit tight. You're suffocating the baby." He finally got off of her and started his way out their room. "Where are you going?"

"Report." Before completely closing the door, he said: "Change your clothes. I'll burn that later."

Hinata laughed. "Alright. Tell me what you want for dinner?"

"Tomato salad."

That evening, he didn't arrive in time for dinner. His tomato salad ended up in the fridge.

"Hinata-sama, you really don't have to help us now. We'll manage."

She joined three other maids pasting sheets of _shoji kami_ on the new wooden frames by the corridor for the broken sliding doors when Toneri attacked. The fluorescent lamp gathered frenzied moths as Hinata kept hunkered over, her growing belly pulling down its weight on her spine.

"It's fine. We're almost done." She continued methodically dabbing rice paste on the lattice before she began along the edges.

"But Hinata-sama," said another maid who was smoothing out a sheet on the other end. "Remember staying up late is bad for the baby."

Brought into sense, she stopped and straightened her back. Hanabi was in a meeting with Hiashi and the clan council to build on how Toneri had managed to encroach every defense an old powerful clan like theirs had set in place. One time is more than enough a threat.

"You are right. I should always think like that."

She will sleep alone again tonight, it seems.

* * *

 _Her mother stood in front, dark indigo hair reaching down her feet._

" ** _Hinata, cast the lotus seal upon his heart… Lock his darkness away. That darkness will ultimately hurt you. Before that happens, with the white lotus seal, with your own hands… Change him."_**

 _From a distance, she saw Sasuke's tiny body lifelessly splayed with tears running down his eyes. Her mother suddenly couldn't be found so Hinata ran to him and carefully laid his head on her lap, wiping his tears._

" _Want some tomato?" she gently cooed and brought the red fruit close his mouth. Just as his two front teeth marked the red shiny skin, tomatoes flooded in, burying Sasuke underneath. It reached up her shoulder and she whisked, swiping away the seemingly endless red that kept caving in just as she desperately tried to find the sunken child._

" _Sasuke-kun! Sasuke-kun!" she yelled as she went further in but the sea of tomatoes deluged deeper. "I'm here! I'll get you out of there!"_

 _She reached down, wriggling her fingers when she finally caught a small limb and lifted it up quite easily. A morbid severed arm. Beside her grew a horrible growling and as she slowly turned, the red-eyed beast had Sasuke's mangled body caught between its rows of long teeth._

Her body convulsed awake at the sound of her own scream, her heartbeat blaring inside her ears.

"Hinata."

Sasuke loomed beside her. Without keeping him off her sight, she slowed her breath close to hyperventilation and grounded herself to reality: their room, him sneaking in without her noticing, his hand burning against her back. He didn't protest as her arms squeezed tight around him, making her swollen breasts hurt.

Neither spoke. After having calmed down, she kissed him. He kissed back and she softly swiped her tongue between his lips, begging. He opened up and she moved in, caressing lightly as though dabbing balms on an ailing, helpless sort. When she felt him subtly push her, she let her lips linger, narrowing her barest focus on the warmth, a dry piece against dying cinder.

"I know why you're like this," he muttered against her lips.

She climbed up his waist, too eager to touch as she savoured in her tongue the soft and scarred contrast of his skin, her baby bump restricting her from totally engulfing him.

Sasuke had their places switched before she realized. "I'll make you forget."

He was a warm refuge over her until the bright red on his iris bloomed. She immediately turned away, biting her lip at the vestiges of nightmare's rattles still settling deep down her stomach.

"Don't," she whispered weakly. He forced her to face him causing her heart to jump. "I-I told you… I-I'll get m-mad if you use that on me." Her voice had come out shriller than she intended. She tried to squirm her way out the increasing force of his hand clenching her jaw.

"Stop this, Hinata." He untangled their legs and retreated to the foot of the bed. The edginess never heard before in their brief conversations made her shudder.

"You have no business sneaking into my memories. I let you have your way. Now let me have mine," he said.

"S-Sasuke-kun." She reached for him but when he felt her hand over his shoulder, he shrugged it off.

Why is this taking a strange turn? How should she accord herself if he reacts like this? Was it all conceit—childishness—to long for keenness when it comes to him? To be possibly more intuitive and knowing than Sakura or that woman Karin will ever be?

"I-I'm sorry… I just get too jumpy sometimes. The bad dream wasn't because—"

"You saw things you shouldn't have."

True, she took liberties watching his memories; she saw too much. But she doesn't want to forget the things he'll never let her know. Because she's his wife and it's not a matter of right.

She is not _that_ girl anymore. Gone was the time when she was small and every respected man in the clan were tremendous walls she had to scale. She'd rather be a liar than someone who says she loves him without sharing his pain.

"I told you I barely saw anything," Hinata answered. "They will never affect me in any way."

During breakfast the next day, Hiashi asked midway his meal: "The public announcement is to be released today, or so I've heard?"

Sasuke, who calmly sipped on his bowl of oden beside Hinata, nodded. Seeing Sasuke physically react to her father's query unknotted some of the tension she felt since last night. Not once did he cast a glance or acknowledged her presence.

"Affirmative. I had to go through all the red-tape yesterday just so my records are cleared. Apparently, even the Mizukage who sent me up on the mission, vouched I had much to confirm. The Kage council act like they're such big deal just because they have my money, as if having your mind looked into wasn't violating enough."

Was he referring to her as well? Hinata felt her insides moil and she couldn't taste the egg roll.

"Anyway, everything is finally coming to a rest. This household hasn't had a good news in a while," said Hiashi.

Sasuke smirked. "You know it's not as good as you make it sound, Hiashi-san."

As Hinata anxiously nibbled on rice at the tip of her chopsticks, the sudden scuttling of bowls brought a hot liquid pooling around her arm holding the rice bowl. "Hanabi-chan!"

Hanabi came up distraught from falling off her chair, her eyes drowsy with dark exhaustion. Her elbow tipped some plates off the table and Hinata hurriedly caught the dishes within her arm's reach, ignoring the soup seeping down her thighs.

"I'm sorry your skirt's drenched." Hanabi let out a frustrated sigh as she massaged her head with both hands. "This is my lesson learned for trusting traitors who drain your chakra and scoop your eyes out."

"Hanabi, go rest for a while," Hiashi admonished from the other end of the table.

"Yes, otou-sama." Hanabi lankly picked up some items off the floor and arranged them on the table before leaving.

Just as Hinata went out her seat to get help cleaning the mess, Sasuke patted a towel on her arms and down her skirt. He did it so silently and pretended not to notice when she dared to play with his hair which didn't defy gravity anymore like sprouting spring weeds.

* * *

After dressing up for a hospital appointment, Hinata couldn't find him anywhere until the reluctant gate guards told her they saw him going to the small old _dojo_ by the east wing. She never thought he knew the place. He used to frequent the north _dojo_ after all, where he also made contribution training the guards.

The stone slabs which lined the path were cracked from the overgrowth of big roots from the surrounding trees and Hinata carefully watched her every step. There used to be mean bats who owned the place but Sasuke seemed to have lorded over the creaky, moldering _dojo_.

"Sasuke-kun, I'm going to see the doctor and get some chakra pills for Hanabi as well," she said as she sat near him. She dared to interrupt as he was only ceremoniously cleaning his blade.

He slowly but precisely sheathed the sword and faced her. Though hesitant at first, he touched her belly. "I don't think it's a good time right now, Hinata."

When she asked what he'd do after, he told her he'd work some more on a _jutsu_ technique. He just got back but he doesn't even take a break.

"Sometimes Kurenai-sensei comes with me but now you're here… Can't you go with me?" Hinata nibbled on her lip, watching his downcast eyelashes blink. She put her hand over his on her stomach. Their hands covering their unborn warmed her overwhelmingly and she wondered if Sasuke felt the same.

On the way to the hospital, Sasuke's other hand was tight around the hilt of his sword with his other arm crossed over her body. When the carriage jerked upon dipping on a pothole, he knocked hard on the carriage ceiling thrice and told the unoffending coachman to slow down, almost hissing at him.

Hinata was certain he'd follow her everywhere with the tense protectiveness of a new father that he now has but he merely sat on the waiting bench outside the doctor's office and didn't go in with her.

For the most part, the obstetrician, a middle-aged plump woman with a habit of flicking her fingers, talked about heavenly bodies more than concerning babies and gestation.

"Before all the moon-meteor craze happened, you almost had a miscarriage so I'd like you to be aware of the situation, Hinata-san. Your baby is lower than where he should be and if this continues, there's risk of premature labor," the obstetrician said. "As I've said before, get rid of all that stress. The meteors, thankfully, are gone for good. So relax, exercise. I'm not talking about the things you _chuunin_ do. Sunlight, oxygen, proper blood circulation, okay? See you in two weeks' time."

With a sigh of mellowed relief, Hinata smiled graciously and pushed against the chair to stand, not forgetting the chakra pills she had requested on the doctor's table. "Thank you. There will always be people protecting the village so let us be at ease and sleep soundly at night, _sensei_."

"Right. By the way, seeing your husband gave me goosebumps," the doctor said, adjusting her glasses as she peered out into the half-open door where an adamant Sasuke could be seen kept waiting for over an hour, his fists over parted knees. "Men should keep in mind their parts don't stop at getting women pregnant. I feel bad for you—a husband who constantly shifts from rogue to hero. Even the whole village is confused. You need stability yet your son is fathered by someone so untrustworthy."

Hinata clutched her fingers tight at the brown paper bag. "I appreciate everything you did for me _sensei_ , but maybe we shouldn't be so quick to judge. Won't you believe the best thing to do is to give understanding and be grateful for having seen brighter, beautiful days? Life is not equal for everyone. Some had it harder than the rest."

Before her doctor could utter another word, she took a bow, apologized for being rude, and left.

"Did you wait long?" She smiled at Sasuke but her chest was still heating up, her fingers cold. His nonchalance suggested knowing he had been a topic and Hinata wished she could make it go away. "The seal didn't seem to have any detrimental effects on the baby and all the tests came out alright. I'm relieved."

He looked at her and if she wasn't paying a very close attention to his details, she would've missed how his eyes softened in unspoken apology when he really shouldn't be. If sealing an unerring child was telling how she'd deal with motherhood, then she won't be any good either.

"It has grown to be this big already." She indicated measured a small width with her hands against his arm. "Soon we get to hold him."

She couldn't read Sasuke but to her he almost seemed bedazzled as he gave a nod.

"I-I think he's hungry. He told me he wants to eat unsweetened _dango_ ," she bashfully informed, noticing how the baby could chase the bleakness away, and was overjoyed at the passing amusement on his face.

"I see his mother changed favorites," he said, standing up as he held her hand.

She covered her mouth as she giggled and was all smiles, slightly bending her neck when she saw the pregnant woman with the white lily dress last visit accompanied by her husband, until the couple in sight looked at Sasuke strangely, half-scorned, half-bewildered.

Downtown near Ichiraku's, the _dango_ shop which sells the chewiest in all of Konoha had but four other customers who dropped by. She used to frequent the place with Shino and Kiba but when the jovial portly owner gawked at them along with others previously minding their own conversations over skewered treats, Hinata almost lugged Sasuke out the establishment.

Just as she was deep in thought, uneaten _dango_ and a package of pills on hand, he quickly disappeared like a passing wind. He later emerged by the riverbank with a small girl clutching a white kitten in his arms.

Sasuke set the girl down, her hair and clothes drenched from the river inlet. "Are you hurt?" Hinata had never seen him so perturbed over others, asking in a manner too involved.

The girl froze on the spot and began to cry, calling for her mother. "It's the scary man on the wall!"

Soon after, Hinata understood what the child meant.

A new post was set on the village bulletin where a swarm had gathered. Sasuke's face was included, declaring exculpation. Using her Byakugan, she focused past them and read their lips.

They talked of hidden conspiracies over the partial truth detailed on the long poster about the Furuike group's real hand on the abduction and chakra exploitation in villages. They didn't believe in Sasuke.

From where she dragged Sasuke by the arm, inconspicuously passing by the shady alleyway behind stores and stalls, their voices could be heard assuring remonstrating fellows of Naruto's loyalty defending the village unlike the man in question. She held his hand tight until they found a rickshaw home.

* * *

"Why are you washing my clothes? Even those briefs. I don't recall using them." Sasuke rested his shoulder against the doorjamb in the bathroom.

Hinata gawked at the sudsy white piece she had in her hands and blushed. She definitely can't say she had been using them. Thinking she did enough and to excuse herself from further discussion, she picked on another clothing soaked in the basin.

"I just needed something to work on… I feel stuffy," she confessed.

He squatted beside her, took the wet article from her grip and tossed it back into the basin. His huge palms gripped on her arms from behind her to rid of the soapy water that dripped down her elbows. "Don't be hard-headed even to your doctor."

She let him bring her over the sink as he ran water down her hands and observed how intent he was. It broke her heart that people judge him for who he isn't. "They're going to keep the truth about Toneri-san from the villagers, aren't they?"

"It's their habit. For so long now. It didn't matter who _they_ were. They never cared for anything but control—information, backlash, preconceived ideas, results, power… Whether it's for the interest of the village or the world or their own interests, they see it all the same," he said.

"You can't even go out without anyone talking behind your back. You grew up in this village. You belong here. You saved everyone from destruction, yet nobody knows that."

"I don't like you defending me in front of other people," he mumbled, taking a more serious tone.

He must be referring about her indiscretion. "The _o isha-san_ is reputable for pre-natal care but what she said was wrong."

"That has always been the case every time we go out to town… That's just the sort of man you married."

He shuffled her hands dry inside a hand towel. She stared at him as she stated clearly, "I married a good man."

Sasuke stopped, his eyes sharp before turning to place the towel back in the rack. "It's easy to say that. I don't want you getting into skirmishes just because you're whitewashing some traitor's name."

"But I know. I know for sure. Because I saw a whole lot about you… in your memories," she said, deciding to set the truth free. "Many people look up to Naruto-kun but you are no different from him. Just like Naruto-kun, you are a good man, Sasuke. And I love you."

She reached for his face but he stopped her by the wrist. "On what basis? My memories, you say? You have always been able to forgive, able to forget. You could love anyone ranging from the lonely outcast now hailed by everyone, to the village traitor, the most bastard man who knew nothing beyond killing his only brother—truly alike, aren't they? Both very inspiring. Aren't you forcing yourself too much?"

"B-but I'm n-not…" she tried affirming, but his blistering words left her without respite. Before she could stop them, tears traced their scalding paths down her cheeks. Gradually, his meaning became more transparent but she never thought of it like that. "I-I'm s-sorry, I-I…"

 _I never intended to hurt you._

The moment she cried, she regretted it; hated the day she embraced the habit. She couldn't even stop him when he made a forthright way out because she couldn't take the hate in his eyes cast at her.

She was a small girl. But that was irrelevant. Being a kunoichi was more important.

She was a kunoichi. Recognition could be found there. Conviction too. But that also became irrelevant.

The way of ninja demanded true strength which she believed, lay in failing, because only then can one get back up. But if she fails at being a wife… _Failed_ at being a wife and get back up—whatever comprised getting back up—can it still be called strength?

" ** _It is awful to sleep with a pain in your heart. You'll wake up still feeling the dread."_**

Hinata didn't notice when she fell asleep. She was determined to wait for him to come home but found herself conscious in a boundless white realm where nothing seemed to exist except her and her mother.

" ** _You are not at fault. He does not perceive your wholehearted affections because he fears. It could be the judgement, or the pain—sores ruptured he kept all this time that he doesn't want opened."_**

She felt her mother's fingers on her cheek. She was crying even in dreams.

" ** _Cast the white lotus seal and he will be free from his darkness. Use the white lotus seal on your right hand and you will be reconciled to him."_**

Hinata shook her head. "Okaa-san, is it really the darkness inside Sasuke that must be sealed or the darkness inside the hearts of other people?"

" ** _If the light doesn't shine within you, you cannot be a light unto others. This you know because he who is like the sun was the one you sought all your life. Yet now, you are plunged into another man's darkness."_**

Comparisons. Such bad thoughts.

Her cheeks felt wet following a painful awakening from what was supposed to be a comforting dream that left her with nightmarish dread.

Beside her, Sasuke was there. The cold, omniscient look he had before facing the other way to avoid her was what he gave his enemies: unfeeling and closed-off, having found all things vain. She tried to reach for him, to scratch on the surface of the wall but didn't persist.

Maybe tomorrow would be a better day.

The sound of rain wrestled against the glass windows. Getting up, she gently pulled a blanket over him before going out for a glass of water.

In the corridor, light came out from under Hanabi's door. It was unlocked so Hinata proceeded inside without knocking.

"It's quite late, Hanabi. Why are you still up?" Hinata turned off the lights and tucked herself in Hanabi's bed, pulling a fair share of the blanket.

"Why are _you_ here?" Hanabi asked back as she scooted to make space for her sister. "Did you guys fight?! Did he hurt you?!"

Hinata giggled. "The chakra pills seem to be doing great, seeing how energetic you've become."

Hanabi rolled her eyes. "I've never felt so useless in my life lying in bed the whole day, and if you think that's gonna change the subject—no, it won't."

Hinata sadly smiled, shaking her head as she brushed stray strands away from Hanabi's face.

"I knew that would be the case—for the second one, I mean. But my first theory is still plausible, seeing you here… Not that I'm complaining," Hanabi added as she contemplatively folded her arms. "Speaking of your husband, he's a scary guy. You should've seen the look on his face when he went inside the portal to rescue you."

"How would you know that?" Hinata asked, seriously confused.

Hanabi avoided her gaze and chuckled half-heartedly. "Uh, I just happened to be there, so, um, back to the topic, Sasuke nii-san had this really scary face like the kind who'd snap your neck easily as a pair of disposable chopsicks. If you weren't so important to him, I'd do everything just to keep you away. He's yet to show his true colors. Two-faced. Men are scary that way," she remarked. "Of all the men who stepped into this house, otou-sama and Neji nii-san are the only ones I'd classify as the real ones."

"That's rather cutthroat," said Hinata, sensing for where Hanabi was going forward with her conclusions. Her sister never talked of men. Not in a general manner. She liked or didn't like somebody for who she thought they were, feeling entitled of her opinions. But it was never about being men or women.

"Seeing Sasuke nii-san's scary face, I can only imagine what he did to that traitor Toneri."

"Sasuke-kun didn't kill Toneri-san."

"Huh?" Hanabi's face stiffened. She plumped her pillow many times and moved undecidedly around her space many times. "That's very unfortunate... Did Sasuke nii-san chicken out the last minute or something?... He's a real menace... that one."

* * *

It was late past seven when Hinata found herself alone in Hanabi's bed. What greeted her in the dining room was silence; empty seats without food on the table, save for the servant girl who was in a hurry cleaning the stove in the kitchen.

"Ah, Hinata-sama! That person Toneri had come to the compound! He's currently at the elders' manor."

Murmuring Hyuuga household members and servants lined the pristinely polished hallway, with ears eagerly directed towards the elders' council chamber. Toneri kneeled before the Hyuuga elders and Hanabi with an elaborate casket held in front of him. Sasuke pointed a sword behind Toner. A traditional painting of _koi_ and lotus splashed against the stifling _fusuma_ backdrop.

"As expected of you, Uchiha. But fear not, I did not come to continue where we left off. I have come in peace and with contrition," said Toneri. "I do not seek the Hyuuga to forgive me. But to prove my penitence, I have deemed myself unworthy of being the steward to the Ootsutsuki clan's treasure. Please accept Lord Hamura's Tenseigan." He brought his forehead down to the floor.

Some of the elders gasped. Hinata inferred they must've been familiar with the _doujutsu_ and the ties Hyuuga had with the Ootsutsuki, keeping it a secret from the rest of the clan. Hiashi's comportment remained unmoved. Hanabi refused to take a glance, looking tortured at the sight of the kneeling man.

"This must never fall into the wrong hands but regrettably, along with my ancestors, we have failed the will of Lord Hamura and of the Great Sage of the Six Paths. As I am unfit, I have come to atone for what I have done towards the people of the Earth. I had talked to the leaders who decided that admission to Konohagakure's prison the proper comeuppance."

"Quit this nonsense. Do you suppose after everything you've done, credence would be given you?" said Sasuke, the blade of his sword grazing dangerously close Toneri's neck. "Let's not pretend, not even for a moment."

"We never needed you or your clan's baloney ideas, Ootsutsuki. You make me sick." Hanabi scoffed.

Toneri seemed to curl at Hanabi's words, nonetheless, he turned his attention back to Sasuke. "You stole one of my scrolls. Certainly, you have arrived to the same conclusion as I did. As long as the Kaguya's chakra exists in this world, they will come—the threat even the Kaguya was wary against, why she took great lengths to be revived no matter at what cost. My clan's plan of a thousand years culminated from the great need to address what was to come to our realm."

"Are you conceding to me, then? I said let's stop pretending (1)."

"As the bearer of the Rinnegan, the Great Sage's legacy, you have great responsibility to conquer what my clan, through me, has failed to do. They will come, Uchiha," Toneri replied. "Scum or not, you have the power."

With a quick flourish, Sasuke acted as though he'd go for a stab. "I know… But coming from you, I don't think I could ever accept that. You don't know what it means (2). I don't even see any point in making you retract what you said about my brother."

He gradually withdrew his weapon and excused himself. Hinata stood by the entrance and their eyes briefly met as he went his way with a strong steadfast grip around the hilt of his sword.

Sasuke is a legendary Shinobi. She must be reminded, too. From the crown of his head to the heels fast departing, he is an invincible warrior.

 _Turn back. Please t_ _urn back._

From one end of his shoulder to the other, a tragic nobility of higher calling.

The distance between where she stood and where he faded from view was fully packed and crammed that he couldn't be any other.

A Shinobi; a warrior; an Uchiha.

 _Please look at me. Like how you used to._

Perhaps another tomorrow would be a better day.

"I do not know for how long I shall serve my sentence the Konoha prison, but as soon as I am free, I assure you I will go back to the moon, and though without the Tenseigan my home is but a cold dark sphere, I sincerely hope you would watch over this treasure with great vigilance," said Toneri.

"After a few days, the prison guards will just probably set you free," Hanabi replied. "I mean, if it weren't for the seal on my grandfather's neck, I wouldn't have believed it. That's how good you are—at deceiving people, that is."

Toneri slowly stood and took a bow. "I shall now take my leave."

Just as he turned, Hanabi closed in, clutched at his robe, and pressed a palm in the middle of his chest.

"If you're really sorry… serve me for the rest of your life."

Toneri coughed up blood and fell on the floor.

"Hanabi!" Hiashi shouted and the elders gasped in disbelief.

Hinata grabbed Hanabi's hand as she dashed her way out. What she did was impermissible and uncalled for. The shaking girl pulled her hand away but Hinata pinned her on the spot by the shoulders.

"There's a saying from a foreign land: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth," Hanabi muttered under her breath. "That's all that there is to it." She ran fast soon as Hinata's hands came loose.

The birdcage seal was born out of the early Hyuuga's consensus—a bondage oath to protect the family's doujutsu till death. No Hyuuga was truly alone.

Maybe it was with that in mind that Toneri outweighed the consequences.

"You're kinder than you make yourself to be, Hanabi," said Hinata as Hanabi raced down the hallway and the alarmed servants regarded the young heiress with nervous apprehension.

"This is terrible, terrible! Hisoka-sama, Date-sama!" called a panicking elder at their shocked grandparents. "The bird cage seal on the chest?! Who can withstand that? What was the heiress thinking?!"

Hiashi, as removed as he tried to be, had been the one to roll Toneri over his back so a better look at his condition could be achieved.

"Otou-sama, don't move him. Let me," Hinata said. A path was cleared for her almost immediately. Beneath her fingers, it was blunt cardiac trauma and left lung contusion—Hanabi obviously overdid it. Normally, had she never been to war, she would fret over what to do. But she can do it. She tied her hair up and told everyone to get out. "Otou-sama, I need help sealing the blood flow." Hiashi nodded.

After a couple of hours of chakra-induced healing, Toneri became conscious much to the elders' relief. An outsider dying from the birdcage seal with Konoha prison escort guards reported to be waiting by the gate would be bad news for the whole clan.

"Thank you, Byakugan Princess." He smiled at her gently.

"I already told you, I am not the Byakugan Princess," said Hinata, trying to concentrate fully on the delicate final mending procedures rejuvenating damaged chakra networks, as she started feeling tired.

"Even so, you are the Byakugan Princess to me and that will never change." Slowly, his brows knitted as he took hold of her right hand. "This seal…"

Her eyes went wide at him and she abruptly pulled away her hand behind her.

"How come you have that forbidden ancient seal, Hinata?" Toneri gravely asked.

"Y-you see it?"

The conversations with her mother—had it not been just a dream? Wasn't it all just her subconscious—the unknown evil thoughts that lie therein—voiced out through the image of her mother?

つづく

* * *

Dokufuku Mochiin Corner! 田

(1) This is a reference to Cherry Blossoms Interlude. Toneri posing as Mangetsu no Kami told Sasuke that he was being pretentious, acting as though he was saving people. He was basically saying then that Sasuke can't be saving people for real because he was an evil person in the past… (And maybe, deep inside, Sasuke believed that too)

(2) was referring to what he said to Hinata about power in Bosom Carnations part five. (If you don't wanna go back there again) He told her the Uchiha that Itachi killed were freed from a world where power is used to destroy when it can otherwise protect.

Japanese words used:

Shoji kami – rice paper used on the shoji sliding door/wall frames

Fusuma – also a sliding wall, sometimes used as a divider in big rooms, with beautiful patterns or big paintings

o-isha-san - doctor (I'm not clear how this differs with sensei but it's like when they're talking about doctors rather than addressing them, they use this term)

Narutoverse Technology:

I just thought since they have instant ramen, television, and telephones, they must have fridges too. About the horse-drawn carriage, I don't know about that but it felt more romantic (lol, in a sense), so I decided to use it.

Disclaimer: I am not in the medical field. If you found something wrong with how I used the injuries and the diagnoses I took online (hahaha!), please kindly give me suggestions.

* * *

I made someone's day just by mentioning them in DM Corner, and I just want to let you know, you guys made my days too.

Thanks for the reviews for the previous chapter SilverKitsune2012-senpai, Wandering Ship, Himesama17, neashi92:D, dear guest, pro-uchiha, dear guest 2, Tayyabalaraib-senpai, Nayako Hiraoka, Redblushingbride, and oneklm (sorry I couldn't update early. It was impossible); to everyone who gave me lovely reviews and constructive criticism from chapter one onwards! Your comments and reactions made me so happy. I also thank those who follow and put FLGW in their favorites list. There's five chapters more before the epilogue. Even to all the lurkers. I am very thankful because you guys continued to stay and love this story.

About this chapter… well, I told you so, two DM Corner's ago.

Believe me when I say I'm writing a love story. Aside from that, I bet you knew something weird was gonna happen. A chapter ago, in the first scene, something weird happened there which I failed to indicate for the first hundred readers, but was able to correct it afterwards. I didn't use it before but now I have Diana (you know Diana if you have an updated ffnet app; she's that headphone icon on the upper right hand corner of your screen when you read a story… well I named her hahaha!). After upload, I get Diana to read to me so I am able to point out blaring mistakes or misses.

Other corrections: In the previous chapter, I don't know if you noticed but the word wizened was used to describe Sasuke's gaze during Shippuden days. It was supposed to be wisened but autocorrect did wizened which is like wrinkly, saggy, and very very old. Ugh. I didn't see that. Forgive me for the imagery it might've caused to pop in your minds.

* * *

 _Just a DM side story:_ An incident three weeks ago made Sasuke relatable to me. A neighbor's demon dog took the life of our kitten for the umpteenth time.

First kill broke my human heart, then the second and the third. Not wanting to hurt anymore, I just half-heartedly prayed for every new-born kitten's safety after that, thinking they'd die anyway for the demon dog and its devious pals wander where we know not, outsmarting the fences. Finally, I realized this cold numbness grow inside me. If I didn't care, do I exist? So when the demon dog went in for the recent kill just when I was so busy, I thought I definitely cannot let this evil persist! This injustice!

I had mental knives, chainsaws, and boulders prepared when it occurred to me: what if the demon dog was just a slave to Konoha's council of elders or Danzo? How could I face my dog sister and nephews when I rejoiced at sight of their own kind's viscera slushy?

I knew I had to avoid Sasuke's fate and warned the mama cat instead to never bring her remaining kitten outside for sunbathing and dust-bathing anymore, else it's targeted for game.

Yes, if DM was a protagonist, there'd be no plot or character development.


	30. XXV

The Ootsutsuki—the pure-blooded ones—who are they?

The desolate village inside the moon; Kaguya's Infinite Tsukuyomi. All _jutsu_ manifested on a large scale. Wars waged aimed at total annihilation.

Gleaned from Toneri's research, without the Tenseigan at work, the moon's interior was bound to collapse upon transmigration of its Demonic Statue of the Outer Path(1) core to Earth. The Ootsutsuki on the moon took a near suicidal risk just to prostrate Kaguya's power, masking its potency from whom she raised a parasitical army to combat against.

… " _They will come, Uchiha."_

Motives.

Having more power than all Shinobi world could imagine, do _they_ need motives at all? With a perverted sense of justice, eliminate evil perhaps? Acting gods reaching out to man, a mere plaything. A Mangetsu no Kami to the Furuike.

… " _You, Sasuke Uchiha, is our inspiration, our model, our hero, our ultimate leader! Just like you, we gathered power to overthrow suppressing power, no matter by what means!"_

The corner of Sasuke's lips twitched, a ruptured smirk at the irony. Once again, it's predictable. He of all people would know. At one point, he needed revolution. But the Ootsutsuki won't be needing that. Not unless he's a step ahead.

"Hey! Let's stop already!" shouted Naruto as he hurtled through branches.

A momentary slip of notice and Sasuke hammered at him with a harsh Chidori spark. Naruto's clones emerged behind Sasuke intended to pummel him down. The blasting tail end of his Chidori charred a good part of the canopy as he managed to slip away and snapped at the sight of the original Naruto seeming to run for his life.

"I NEED TO EAT BREAKFAST!" Naruto bellowed, making a beeline to the former Uchiha compound. He flickered but Sasuke caught up to him and the skids of their sandals made blunt marks by the gate.

Naruto panted, sweat dripping from his brows. "Time out! I said time out! If you come at me one more time, _you'll_ destroy your precious flowers."

With a scowl, Sasuke stoked his chidori. "We're barely getting started."

"What are you talking about?! Who went knocking on my door at three in the morning, asking for a fight? We've been at it for hours!" Naruto pointed up at the glaring sun, near zenith.

Sasuke scoffed. "You're getting soft. If that Ootsutsuki was right, what will become of Konoha with you like this? Hagoromo left you with the tailed beasts, and to me, this Rinnegan. Come the worst, defending the world depends on the two of us."

Experience learned from resuscitating the moon portal enabled Sasuke to open entrance and exit portals of his own without using much chakra; the most recent exit happened to be outside Naruto's apartment. Still, one of the flaws was taking over eleven hours in real time what felt just half an hour's worth of area survey. If the time lag was truly a constant of spatial travel, Obito's Kamui _ninjutsu_ didn't have that quirk. Or Kakashi's.

Naruto squatted despondently and huffed. "Give me a break, will ya?! You don't know how scary Sakura is these days."

Sasuke's thoughts were immediately broken out of trail stuck deep on Ootsutsuki and Kaguya's dimensions.

"She's gonna have the baby soon," said Naruto, worry tinged in his voice. "Thing is, I think she's scared... She's taking it out on me sometimes and we had fights. Though I make sure we make up quickly—beg on my knees if I have to. Even if I didn't start it, I still do… Her ballooning stomach gets to me, ya know… Like, I just can't leave her alone."

Like a target hit bull's-eye, Sasuke's heartbeat turned irregular for a minute. Enemies lurk in other dimensions. Information is severely lacking. His space-time _ninjutsu_ needed recalibration—

… "… _The only one who can really hurt me is you. It wasn't always Sasuke-kun but for a while now, I am certain it will only ever be Sasuke-kun."_

The warmest words she said seeming so long ago kept echoing every now and then. Because what he said… The words just fell out his mouth and before he knew it, nothing was ever the same.

While she committed herself to put a blanket over him when he couldn't bring himself to wipe the tears he caused, and fixed him meals he didn't ask for, the conviction that she brings to the table, never going against her word about loving him, made Sasuke realize he never really thought this through—the play house, the make believe.

"As I was saying," Naruto continued, "It's pretty late but I have to eat breakfast because she says so. It's a scary time for her so I have to be understanding, okay? I don't own me these days. _You_ don't own me." Naruto's eyes smoldering with irritation looked up to emphasize his point but Sasuke remained staring at the ground. "Geez, bet you don't get it. _'Naruto you're special but I'm more special'_ I don't get into fights with Hinata."

"That was a long time ago. Get over it," Sasuke said, humorlessly.

"What? You're still arrogant." Naruto shrugged.

Sasuke signalled him out by tossing his head. Naruto sighed and frowned at him as he went his way. Adding a zap of lighting, Sasuke kicked a rock off the ground aimed at Naruto's direction, barely missing the back of his head.

" _Teme!_ " Naruto griped, raising his fist. "I trained with you so don't go bitchy on me! I don't have much patience for you, dammit! You're not even my wife!" He stuck his tongue out and yelled from afar: "I'm gonna tell Hinata on you! **She's gonna hate you for real!** And by the way, Hinata's old man hasn't been there for a while so I don't care if the flowers in the shed die, you asshole!"

Pressing the creaky gates apart, Sasuke perused the field of white lilies. The glare of the sun upon the garden was akin to its setting, bright flashes of orange pouring out into the spots white. After unlocking the door of his shed to inspect the blooming plants inside, Sasuke marched in front the white lilies which were more delicate but bloomed for months allowing flower gifts to Hinata off-season, specially stored in cool clay pots. He felt the soil inside the pots for moisture and checked on the health of the leaves.

What's the point of this?

Why is he here?

… " _But I know. I know for sure. Because I saw a whole lot about you… in your memories. Many people look up to Naruto-kun but you are no different from him. Just like Naruto-kun, you are a good man, Sasuke…"_

He won't be giving them to her. Not anymore. He had saved these white lilies once, but he is no savior. They'll rot and die. There's no point in keeping useless flowers alive. Because Hinata had seen all there is about him and rendered him good. An obvious lie.

Taking her words as they were would be mere optimism—never a ninja's creed. As a man, it bruised his pride to watch her hold her true sentiments in. Whether he stated the obvious as he did or stayed mum, it doesn't change anything.

Beyond the Sasuke he wanted her to see—that calculated, formulaic pretend—what good is there? Uchiha Hinata was neither what she wanted, nor what she deserved—now a conflict to himself, a casualty he can't undo.

Wanting to believe the dead manifest pure in white flowers, without guile or guilt; that's just the sort of person she is. Someone who's greater than reality, he wanted to believe. But she isn't. To the extent she could convince herself she doesn't hate him, she would persist at it—a penance of some sort with him a burden to bear; a humiliation to endure.

Above, the fluffy clouds droned lazily across the blissful azure. Cicadas harped a merry ode to the heat of summer. In this frame the view seemed real; the next moment, this present a mere illusion of the past. The clouds would be stuffed and grey, overwhelmed, turning to rain.

Inside the lining of his vest, Sasuke took out a small beaten leather-bound notebook with a blunt pencil lodged in between.

 _The sun departs to the west. Birds don't cry. The wind doesn't mourn._

"The natural course of things," he muttered, zeroing in on the words he wrote before closing.

* * *

•••

* * *

"I'm actually worried for Hanabi. Though I'm somewhat relieved ojii-sama allowed chakra pills." Hinata dipped the embroidery needle into the fabric and pulled back with the thread up.

Keeping herself occupied with needlework up in the attic where old fixtures, furniture, and forgotten things had been stored was just an excuse. She could sew in any other part of the house but from up in the attic, she could see people coming up to the main gate.

"Okaa-san, you loved lotus flowers, didn't you? I found some of Hanabi's baby clothes kept here and they all had lotus. What did they mean to you?"

" ** _Hanakotoba. A wish for my child to be pure, to stand for what is true amidst all trials."_**

Hinata stopped. Lately, her "mother" has been appearing outside her dreams, and she only always dwelt on the same subject. "That is what I think, isn't it? Beyond that, I don't know my mother's real thoughts so you wouldn't either… Why do you possess me? Who are you? Why do you insist that I seal Sasuke?"

" ** _The darkness in his heart will not do you good, nor will it ever benefit anyone else. Having the seal will change him and you can make him be just as you want him to be."_**

"I'm always just playing victim and resort to crying. How Sasuke-kun and I had come to be these past few days was entirely my fault."

" ** _But you cannot make amends. And you should not. Doing so would be admitting he's right. Because of the darkness in his heart, he refuse to hear your words as they are. Forcing yourself—that was what he called it. And he will deny seeing it any other way."_**

Hinata continued with her work and folded each baby clothing after she was done, her fingers tracing where the small hands would go and the seams by the neck, then the red and white lotus on the chest. Uchiha colors.

"You haven't caused me any harm but I am beginning to think Toneri-san wasn't the only Ootsutsuki left on the moon." Activating her Byakugan, the sparkling lotus-shaped chakra network had latched more visibly to the chakra pathways on her right hand. "I tried the archives and there was nothing like it. But he could tell."

The gallops of horses rounded by. Hinata peered out the window and saw a carriage with a couple guiding the horses closing in. No one comes in this direction save for the head family guests. As to which guest and for whom, these were answered by a familiar red head sitting on the carriage roof.

Perturbed as she walked to the gate, Hinata observed the strangers as the guards halted their way into the compound. Karin jumped in on her companion who heckled the guards by grabbing the huge sword on his back off the scabbard, the metal making a sharp sound and the horses whickered.

"Excuse me but, Sasuke-kun isn't here at the moment," Hinata interposed, grabbing their attention. "He's occupied with training lately but he _might_ come home today."

She wasn't really sure. Sasuke's posturing became tenser by the day. His used clothes had rips or slightly burnt edges, and at times, strangely, had traces of snow in summer. With Sasuke preparing for an arcane battle and intentionally alienating her, _where were you_ couldn't get past her lips.

"So it's you," Karin said, the hostile undercurrents surprising Hinata. With a judging brow, she scrutinized Hinata from head to toe making her self-conscious. "Who got you knocked up?"

"Do you know how babies are made?" asked the white-haired man, showing his shark teeth threateningly.

Karin covered her ears. "Shut up, Suigetsu! Don't say it!"

" _He_ did _this_ and _that_ with dull, fat lady right here!" The man Suigetsu laughed, grating like his sword much to Hinata's embarrassment. She did gain weight but only by a few marks!

Karin groaned and pivoted on her heels to face the carriage. "We didn't want to come here but someone else was really desperate to see that jerk."

Just then the carriage door opened and a woman wearing an embroidered robe that glinted in the sun stepped out. Her skin was white as snow and lips crimson as blood. When she directed her eyes at Hinata, their red color burned, like hot furnace.

"Good day. I don't think we've been introduced, but perhaps we've seen each other around, young lady of the Hyuuga. I am Daidouji Kyouka."

The servants dashed for the exquisite porcelain sets and prepared the whisk, the teapot, and the silk cloth for Hinata's tea ceremony. Hinata changed into a suitable _kimono_ for receiving important guests. Cooks serving the elder's manor were alerted to serve _wagashi_ and for later, a three-course meal for the guests.

"How pleasant," Lady Daidouji said, eyeing Hiashi then Hinata. A pale boy with black hair and black eyes sat behind her, straight-backed with legs folded, unnaturally well-mannered for a small one just about three or four years old.

Lady Daidouji's lips were painted rich with crimson and her small white face, though having soft features without a stray strand of hair fixed in an immaculate low bun, had high sharp cheekbones that had been the only indication she matured earlier. Her sleeves hung elegantly about her slender wrists as she picked up the tea bowl, with but a truncated barely audible thump as she put it back on the mat, ignoring the camellia-shaped sweets.

"I am humbled," replied Hiashi. "Indeed, we cultivate tea with the few acreage we own in the mountains. They are mainly the produce of the branch families. Perhaps our _matcha_ is too simple for your palette, Lady Daidouji?"

"Absolutely not. Before I was married, my clan were mere temple dwellers and grew what we eat. The aftertaste of this tea is pure and delicate. A clear peal of a small bell. Just like what I had when I was a girl from our first harvest in spring. Nostalgic. Even the things brought to the capital could never render this flavor."

"Honored to be accepting such compliments from someone famed in the Daimyo's courts for their high tastes."

"You never struck me as a flatterer, Hiashi-dono." She smiled and sipped her tea, stealing a glance at Hinata. "So Sasuke married into the Hyuuga."

This caught Hinata's full attention. His name falling from her crimson lips had nuance solely belonging to it. With possession.

"I didn't know. Did anybody at all?" Lady Daidouji wiped the corners of her mouth with the table napkin. She doesn't leave lipstick stains anywhere like it's secondary nature and she could do no wrong with it.

"My daughter's marriage was just a small affair. An insignificant clan such as ours didn't want to make a big deal out of it," said Hiashi impassively and gulped a sip of his tea.

"Nonsense. The Hyuuga is one of the oldest _dojutsu_ clans surviving. I, for one, think we could be relatives. A small wedding is rather unconventional for a relevant clan like the Hyuuga. Almost as though it's being kept a secret, isn't it? Perhaps it's only formality? For a child."

Her eyes seemed to prey at Hinata. She moved with easy grace, tilting her head slightly as she speaks with an assured smile. Her shoulders carried with them a disciplined art form constructing the bearing of one used to being worshiped.

"As I've known him, he is not one to be bound. Someone like him doesn't really belong here, don't you think? Sasuke could be wanting legacy; the Hyuuga some connection to the Sharingan. If it's just legacy he wanted, I think this marriage is totally uncalled for… Suzet-kun," she called, facilely waving the back of her hand.

The young boy moved forward and stood in front of Hinata with an off-putting soulless gaze.

"Better take a look at your unborn sibling."

Hinata froze. Drought seized her throat.

"This could be the only chance you'll see it… You never know it could die inside the womb for all unexpected reasons."

In the rarity amongst rarities, Hinata decided she didn't like the woman at all. Her stomach lurched as Lady Daidouji laughed. She never saw her in Sasuke's memories. And Sasuke…

Sasuke would never touch another woman besides her…

 _Would he?_

Just because the small boy had Sasuke's hair color, and eyes… _the Cupid's bow on the lips, the paleness…_ Hinata's chest began to heat up as she placed a hand defensively on her belly.

"Oh, pardon. You don't have to look so scary, _ojou-san._ I didn't mean it like that. Before I had Sasuke's Suzet-kun, I miscarried eight times. It really isn't a big deal once you get used to it. After everything, Suzet-kun is the spitting image of his father, isn't he?"

Discord broke the calm as footsteps rattled and the shoji parted revealing Sasuke in the entryway.

"S-Sasuke, I can explain," said Karin, catching her breath behind him. "I would never, ever let her near you but she's vicious!"

"Told you it's the crazy woman." Suigetsu sipped soundly from his teacup.

"Mako. Why are you here?" said Sasuke.

Lady Daidouji's face alighted with excitement uncharacteristic of a noble woman and ran up to Sasuke calling him _anata._ "It's been so long," she said, hugging him and he didn't even bother shrugging her off.

He immediately grabbed her wrist. "Let's talk outside."

"Wait. Don't be so rough. Suzet-kun is also here to see you."

Sasuke's countenance darkened seeing the boy. He took the child and disappeared from the room along with Kyouka and the rest.

Hiashi rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I didn't think we'd have to deal with her. She may have been abandoned by the Daimyo's heir but she's still the legal wife."

Hinata stayed mute. Hiashi turned to take a glance at her.

"Don't tell me you believed anything she said?"

* * *

 _After miles of travelling, crossing Valley of the End, going through the Sound Village and days on foot the narrow, perilous mountain range trail leading three peaks before Mountain's Graveyard, this was what they'd come to._

… _The sunset by the vast ocean horizon presented breath-taking allure but everyone Kyouka wanted to see again were dead. She cried and laughed, so loud it sounded like she'd break her throat. As her red eyes flickered white, in the midst of a white lily field, she made the ground quake, uprooting the flowers and clawing all the was within reach, throwing a fit as Sasuke wouldn't set the empty shrine, reeking of death and time, on fire._

… " _Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" She squealed, trampling a flower underfoot. She didn't care if jagged stones cut her feet. "I actually believed my demon bastard of a husband! 'They were being taken care of'?!" She laughed and sported a manic grin. "'THEY WERE BEING TAKEN CARE OF'?!"_

… _Sasuke told her to stop and sealed some uprooted white lilies into a scroll to preserve them. "You don't know its value unless you've grown one. These are all that's left of your people. But unlike what was lost, these are alive."_

… _She stared at him. "I think I love you so much I'll trust you with my real name." Slowly, she pressed her thumbs hard around Sasuke's throat._

Kyouka. Mako. A two-faced woman. A psychopath who alternatively crosses paths between sanity and the other side.

The cruelty of her fate, a long time bought bride, was met with apathy and viciousness. She and Sasuke met halfway there. Nothing could be done; no redemption in sight. He couldn't blame Kyouka for who she was but the woman was a compelling example, enough reason for Sasuke to involve himself in Hyuuga clan affairs he had no business with... Because Hinata must remain who she was.

"The warps have increased since your last visit," said Kyouka. "Kaguya's shrine may be my childhood home, but do you have any idea how unsettling it is to live there with just a few ignorant servants, an undead child, and space warps like giant spiders only I could see?"

Karin could be seen watching with hawk eyes at some far corner under the shade of the Camphor trees trimming the outer court while Suigetsu brought out Hiashi's expensive tea cup and gargled its contents, spitting it out near Karin's foot. The two started to bicker.

"You met Orochimaru?"

"What do you think? He was creepily all over Suzet-kun for samples." Kyouka laughed. "Suzet. I came up with it just a while ago."

Sasuke looked pensively at the child. The young boy eyed him curiously. He hadn't expected growth.

The boy's time had long ceased two years ago when they found him supposedly dead awash by the stream bordering Valley of the End. Much to their surprise, the corpse miraculously resurrected on its own. The most disturbing fact revealed by Sasuke's investigation was the White Zetsu remnant that had managed to merge with the dead host at a cellular level, keeping the boy moving.

But there wasn't supposed to be growth. And personality, seeming to spark behind its cognizant eyes.

"What did he say? This child is _alive_ , isn't he?"

"Nothing I understand."

"He must be taken back to whoever his parents are if that was the case."

" _Ara,_ he doesn't even talk. He got scalded with hot water once and didn't even scream. He just healed. Curious as I am, I poured it all on him. I was pretty sure he'd end up a stew, but as you see, he didn't."

"Just because he didn't doesn't mean it didn't hurt!" growled Sasuke.

"You almost make it sound like you care. We both know that's ridiculous. As to what Orochimaru said, I won't tell you anything." Kyouka's red mouth slowly turned into a devilish smile. "Not unless you kiss me."

A nearing presence became apparent from a distance. He didn't need a Byakugan to know it was his wife.

Kyouka mouthed _she's here_. "Sasuke, you're coming to live with us, right? You, me, and our Suzet-kun," she said, raising her voice. "You've always wanted to sojourn finding redemption, didn't you? It was our dream together, wasn't it?"

Sasuke merely glared at her.

"Oh, I'm getting chills." Kyouka laughed. "Relax. I'm not here to cause havoc, though I can definitely do that on the side line. I'm here because I want to help you carry out your ultimate mission. I suppose you can't talk to your dear little wife about anything. All Hyuuga's look dead but she's exceptionally dead-looking, so naïve she looks like a dead mouse. How does it feel going to bed with one, Sasuke? But really, by staying here, what are you accomplishing?"

Hinata's footsteps ebbed away. Sasuke ripped, a piece of him tugged away with her.

"Boring. See how easily she lost without even a bit of confrontation," said Kyouka. "I don't comprehend why you're with her. We're the soulmates. I can read you before you've even revealed yourself." She chuckled. "Your darkness is too arousing."

"That people could be alike in such a manner is truly unfortunate, Ootsutsuki Mako."

* * *

Hinata didn't mind being called a dead mouse. Like the koi that had gotten plenty over the spring in iridescent white, reds, oranges, striking gold, and black splotches flailing in constant activity as though raging all at once coming for her then dispersing to a different direction, there's no shock value. Good things and bad things amalgamated in a single flow; it depended on oneself how to make sense of whose compliments and criticisms mattered.

"Hinata," called Hiashi. He paused to watch her and tossed feed into the water. Fishes gathered with mouths yammering greedily for every edible piece that floated on the surface. The scattered pieces vanished quickly and Hiashi casted feeds again. "She was Sasuke's escort mission. About two years ago. Her scandalous behavior and childlessness had her ousted from the capital and sent back to her village. Rumors had it she wanted Sasuke for herself but he came to me to ask for your hand instead."

Hinata nodded. "I know."

"Good." A companionable silence followed after but the possibility of words yet to be spoken hung heavily in the air until the fish feed in Hiashi's hand was all gone. He dusted his hands and the lilac grey of his eyes kept darting at her.

"Otou-sama," Hinata began, "Do you remember what was here before the pond?"

He seemed taken aback and took a deep breath. "Your mother's garden."

"What made you take it down? Back then, I didn't ask why. I just thought since otou-sama is a powerful person, it was a fitting arrangement. The natural course of things."

"I didn't understand her at all. When the tomato plants died after frost, I never thought of following what she did. There was no meaning. Until I finally understood years later."

"What is it?"

"Your mother was always thinking about me… Because I couldn't marry the woman I wanted to marry, I think, at one point, she thought of having my child and that woman's youngest son marry in the future, just because they'd enter the academy on the same year. Using tomatoes." Hiashi's eyes crinkled, and to Hinata it was akin to the blooming of a flower.

"Do you mean… Sasuke-kun?"

"Life took a twisted turn, but your mother still proceeded with her plan. She always had humble means and though she couldn't see things through, matters took a turn just according to her plan. As I realized this, I was overwhelmed with amazement at your mother. When a person part ways with breath, that's the end. You don't know what happens then. Everything you worked for, you'll never know how it turns out. But your mother had no such vanity. Because it wasn't for herself, she had faith. And her wish had turned to hope for that young man. To me there's no better legacy than that."

"Hinata-sama," called a servant. "We shall begin serving the dishes shortly."

The carts with the food trays were brought in, the shoji doors enclosing the large dining hall were opened, and the servants waited with their eyes transfixed at Hinata. A tug at her sleeve seized her elbow before she could make a socked foot into the threshold. It was thunder, it was the bumble of a mighty bird's wind, flying past.

"Don't do it," he said, staring in front of him talking to the wall.

Her _kimono_ kept her from taking on a bigger stride so she took a step back, closer to him but it didn't bring them close together. He refused to look at her still.

"It's the clan's custom. I have to do it. What has been done previously, with the same hospitality, we will receive important guests the same way. Since they are your guests, all the more should I serve them properly."

He didn't let go of her sleeve. And maybe she wanted that. She wanted to be overwhelmed with the ignition of skin against skin. But his thumb slowly let go and she had to move on, the anticipation in the servants' gaping eyes and the lessening steam wafted from the soups in their lacquered containers prodding her.

As she began placing food with careful practiced movements for Suigetsu, Sasuke entered the dining hall and took his place, left-hand side of Hiashi. Hinata felt Suigetsu eyeing her carefully but she smiled after she had placed everything in order for him. He requested _sake_ and after she told him the servants will get him some, he raised a thumb at Sasuke who scowled at the gesture. When she served Karin, the red-haired woman didn't reciprocate her smile.

Just as Hinata dropped down her knees by Kyouka, soundlessly settling the clear onion soup before the Daimyo's daughter-in-law, the woman spoke: "I am relieved. Sasuke married such a wonderful lady. Certainly, Karin here doesn't feel slighted in anyway."

Karin hissed. "You mean yourself? Don't lump me with you, Lady Viper."

Lady Daidouji gave of a tender laugh. "Always quite a character." She looked at Hinata. "I'm sorry that we'll be taking Sasuke with us to Mountain's Graveyard. Do you know where that is? The situation's pretty hectic right now so we had to depart at dawn, out of consideration for your clan's invitation that I stay the night."

"Mako," Sasuke said with a hint of warning. The servant laying out the dishes in front of him almost spilled the soup.

"What is it?" Lady Daidouji asked as Hinata didn't respond and feigned a shocked gasp. "Sasuke didn't tell you, did he?" Leaning in, she whispered: "He'll never trust someone like you." As she smiled, Hinata met her deceptively gentle gaze. "Can't think of a retort?"

With nonchalant poise, Hinata replied: "That would be acting just as you want. Also, I don't find virtue in obedience to that."

A deadening anger flashed Lady Daidouji's red eyes and Hinata took it as a sign to leave and prepare for the next course.

"Hiashi-dono, my father-in-law will surely hear of your hospitality," said Lady Daidouji.

Hinata chose to serve diligently through three courses until the last plate of cool _okura_ salad for Kyouka's child. Wiping the sheen of sweat off her forehead, she sat alone in her family's smaller dining room with the heat biting her cheeks. Her "mother" appeared again, an increasing worry expressed in her illumined features.

" ** _Time is of essence, Hinata. Cast the lotus seal now. For him to go away without the two of you reconciling must be grieving your soul. When is he coming back? What if he'd stay away for a long time again? You can't bear that, can you? It's becoming too painful. What of your son? Will he be born without his father?"_**

"Rice balls," she muttered, biting her lip. She set to work at once, washing the rice and putting it over the steamer. She took out some seaweed wrap, sesame seeds, preserve plums, and dried salmon flakes.

" ** _Hinata, don't make yourself an object of pity."_**

Her eyes stung as she continued to mold hot rice in her hand. A drop spilled out her cheek and she wiped it with her sleeve.

"I'm sorry, _aka-chan,_ " she told her baby, "I promised, didn't I? The rice was just a bit scalding. I'm alright."

Tiny footsteps made its way into the kitchen and Kyouka's child stood in front of her.

Hinata licked her lips. "Are you done eating?"

He remained looking at her blankly. Hinata eyed her ingredients and continued to make the rice ball in her hand, topping it with sesame seeds.

She waved her hand. "Come here."

Surprisingly, the stoic boy walked up to her. She gave him a rice ball and he accepted. She gestured for him to take a bite and he did. Seeing the little boy chew while looking up made her smile. He smiled a small smile at first which turned into a full one as he took more bites.

"Is it tasty?" she asked and the young boy nodded once. "Thank you."

She gave the small boy a seat as he continued to watch her by the kitchen counter. Just as she was done wrapping the last rice ball with a seaweed sheet, a strong presence flitted by the door. She could tell by the hands and by the feet which stopped in front of her.

"What are you doing?"

"Take these riceballs when you leave." Hinata pressed her thumbnails hard against the softer part of her forefingers and focused on the pain to tame the increasing heat rising below her eyes.

She squared her shoulders and raised her face, her line of sight reaching past his shoulders. "I'll be placing your clothes on your study so don't worry about packing as well."

"Do what you want," Sasuke said coldly, taking Kyouka's child with him.

She doesn't know how long he'll be gone but she packed clothing enough for a week, keeping light travel in mind.

" ** _Hinata, is this really what you want? Or will you do as I say and cast the lotus seal now. It will be for the best."_**

"I'm never using the seal. Maybe it's time to stop using my mother's face."

" ** _I can't do that. If I do, I won't be able to delineate my existence inside you."_**

Hinata slowly turned and fixed her eyes at the woman crouched beside her by Sasuke's bureau. "A-are you perhaps…"

" ** _Does knowing my true identity add credence to what I say?"_**

"B-but if you are who I heard you to be, why do you ask me to do it?"

" ** _This concerns the fate of the world, Hinata. Now, will you believe me if I say cast the White Lotus seal on Sasuke? We have to seal the darkness inside him before it's too late. With your help, I will be able to change him."_**

* * *

 ** _•••_**

* * *

" _Jen_ , the human heartedness" recited Hanabi dutifully. "The virtue of virtues; a sense of dignity of human life; the feeling of humanity towards others and self-esteem for yourself. As a ninja, a Hyuuga will preserve _jen_ for _jen_ makes life worth living, with purpose even unto the grave"

"And what of the _chih_?" asked her grandfather as he fanned himself. "Where does its source lie?"

"The knowledge of right and wrong," answered Hanabi.

Hours and hours, fasting and meditation for five days straight and she doesn't even think anymore. She's just a machination built to utter the Five Thousand Hyuuga Virtues. She's hungry, sick of just _taro_ and water, and has officially lost her soul.

"But mere knowledge causes imbalance. A balance must exist between _h_ s _ü_ _eh_ and _ssu._ The learning and the thinking. Knowledge acquired must be processed upon with critical thinking and reflection to incorporate fully into oneself."

"Indeed." Her grandfather folded his paper fan and looked at her. "Now, heiress, how does one render proof of _chih_?"

Was it really worth the trouble? This revenge. Yes, it was revenge. Because he's a real menace. Just because a person apologized doesn't preclude their authenticity. Just because he's sending himself to prison and promised to back away forever doesn't really mean…

"Hanabi-sama, if someone is truly repentant, you, as the heiress should be the voice of reason, of justice, and must be willing to forgive," said an overseeing Hyuuga ethos mentor. "Now express your deepest regret."

The security around Toneri was too lax. He looked fine behind the glass. Like a delicately crafted porcelain doll. As a matter of fact, Hanabi thought she looked worse. Felt worse. Because she's now the bad guy who needs penitence.

"I refuse."

"Hanabi-sama!"

"Have the Hyuuga lost their pride? I refuse."

"Heiress," Toneri spoke. The last time he'd refer to her directly, he took Hinata away. And she didn't want to hear this. She didn't want this conversation. "Am I truly worthy of this seal? This in my chest… I can feel it. Your life force in the veins of this seal. Something as important as this, am I truly—"

"Shut up. I'll make your heart burst." Hanabi bowed. "I regret putting the seal on you. I swore to myself to be the clan head who ends the caged bird seal when I'm in power yet I turned my back on that. I'm the worst… That's all I have to do, right?" she asked, eyes directed at the Hyuuga. "Now let me leave."

Toneri placed his hand against the glass. "Wait… I have something I must give back to you."

"I don't expect the likes of you—"

Gradually, warm chakra crept into Hanabi's chakra network, invigorating her. The skin in her arms began to glow and she stopped feeling famished and enervated. She moved closer, her face nearly pressed up the glass.

"Just because you do this doesn't mean I'll trust you again. I'm too scared to do that. When I saw your seal on my grandfather; when you took Hinata; when you made the portal disappear. Nothing could ever describe the fear I felt."

"But I merely covered the portal. I cannot make it disappear. It is not in my power—"

"Do you actually think that makes any difference?"

"I was deeply convinced of the falsities. When I began reflecting after everything that happened, the real will of the Lord Hamura appeared to me. He could not manifest to me afore because my heart had been fixed upon the wrong things. That you cannot trust me is my penance. However, how will I be able to serve you if you do not?"

She really wasn't thinking. "You can forget about that." She turned about-faced.

"Wait, heiress. There is another thing."

Hanabi took a halt.

"The seal on Hinata's hand. I've been thinking about it. My ancestors had long forbade the use of that seal that I was alarmed at first. Later I realized how foolish that was. Because if it's Hinata, then there is nothing to be worried about."

"What are you talking about?"

* * *

Rain fell on his lashes, blurring the limestone stronghold from a distance. Tonight, he's repelled by the height separating him to where she was in the comfort of safety. Inside his water-resistant cloak, his body is protected but his fingers throbbed from the cold. Splash of rain soaked his feet. Water poured, running down his head. After meeting Kakashi he waited for almost an hour, but rainfall never intensified to storm. Wild lightning ceased crashing overhead. And still, his body isn't maimed, nor his bones crushed and his cranium burned to crisp. With his fists clenched as they are, he imagined blood spilling, distilled into the murky waters.

… " _Accordingly, the Black Zetsu took form in Kaguya's shrine. The increasing space warps in that place definitely has a connection to Kaguya. If we think from her own perspective, in anticipation of enemies, she will have a plan set in place. And a timeline. The space warps, a White Zetsu remnant surviving on that dead child still finding purpose as though heeding to a strong command; they could all mean one thing: it's high time we gather relevant information."_

… _Kakashi looked out the dark window and then to Sasuke, drinking coffee from his mug. "Basically what you're saying is?"_

… " _I cannot continue with the pace I'm currently at. I have to seek out Kaguya's dimensions and investigate intensively."_

… " _Have Naruto go with you. I'll authorize that."_

… _Naruto jolted out of the sofa. "What?! T-That's too sudden."_

… " _No. Naruto must stay here." Sasuke faced Kakashi. "There currently exists a huge time lag in my space-time jutsu. Also, there's the issue of having exit portals open in precise locations. Your kamui never had problems with that… I need guidance."_

… _A rare wrinkle formed between Kakashi's brows. "But with your Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan, you should be able to figure it out easily… Unless, Kaguya's dimensions actually exists light-years away. If that's the case, maybe the time lag does become a constant. What's seconds could be minutes; the minutes could be hours; the hours into days or years and so on and so forth."_

… " _You can't help me, is what you're saying?"_

… " _Why don't we think about other options?" Kakashi strode to put his mug on the desk with towering paperwork. "Maybe there are other ways still unexplored."_

… " _We don't have that kind of time. The more we delay, the more we permit the possibility of having what happened during the war, happen again."_

… " _I'm sure there are people who can help?"_

… " _Like who?_ _People six-feet under you mean?"_

… " _You're asking my guidance because you know. If your jutsu is as it is now, you'll end up missing a lot of time in our dimension. Why do I get the feeling you're yet to talk to Hinata about this?"_

Smoke from a lit pipe floated from the pavilion extended from the covered walk that served as the main vein connecting all parts of the Hyuuga compound. Sasuke's footsteps left puddles on the damp polished wood.

"The rain has let up. Tell Karin and Suigetsu to prepare to leave."

" _Ara,_ in a hurry? It's the middle of the night. The sun hasn't even emerged yet," said Kyouka.

"You decided that on your own... But it doesn't matter now."

"On another note, I think I understand why you married her." Kyouka lightly sucked on her ornate pipe. "Do you find sick pleasure in keeping her around, reminding you of the self you lost? She talk big. A lucky, spoiled young lady. Just the kind you'd want to break and suffer. Let's see her speak of virtue the same way then." Her red eyes turned luminous white in the dim distant lights. The puddles of water started to rise and Sasuke felt the blood in his veins being twisted.

Activating his Sharingan, her ostentatious power display stopped then. "Don't ever lay your hands on her!"

"Fine. I don't like thinking about other women too much. I ended up killing them in the past. Good to know you're enthusiastic coming with me. For the sake of the world, I mean." A low chuckle escaped Kyouka's lips interspersed with curls of smoke. "Where are you going? You don't strike me as the type to say goodbye."

Rain drops kissed the puddles. Weak moonlight now caressed the moistened window panes. The empty house was a hollowed instrument that played to the lumbering dance of bleak spirits convalesced from the aftermath of showers.

… " _If your jutsu is as it is now, you'll end up missing a lot of time in our dimension."_

Hinata's rice balls still waited on the kitchen countertop, perfect and unmoved. Without knowing their weight in his hand, Sasuke was dismayed at the heaviness of each one.

He expected this. In the first place, he knew.

After all, he isn't Naruto.

He'd been nothing but a fickle prick on her side. An absent husband.

Making the rice balls must've been too easy. And he hated that.

The peace that hovered about her form wrecked him. If he crosses over to that beautiful sleeping face, he'd leave more filth in his tracks. Inchoate, he decided to momentarily part from himself, as shameless as the day he gave the first flower. Justified or not, he shook, he raged watching her smile as she finished preparing her parting gift; for being too cold. A little warmth was all he needed. Just a small warmth from her hand hung freely by the bed side. On his cheek, as he placed a light kiss; a piece of her softness on his frozen lips.

Then her small warmth to lightly thaw a bit of his heart. Where the pain she caused twists to permanently reside.

* * *

"Why would my onee-sama have a seal like that in her possession, Ootsutsuki Toneri?" Hanabi's fist pounded against the glass. "She's not like you. Whatever you say, it's basically manipulating people. That's your specialty," countered Hanabi.

"No. Not like that. There is a difference. Because she's the Byakugan Princess. To us she is love, harmony, and goodwill. Our legends recount how she used the seal to maintain peace wherever she went. She even used her Byakugan to maintain the portal after Lord Hamura died, just to keep our clan connected to others."

"Uh… Byakugan Princess. Hinata nee-sama, right? Yeah. So you're saying she used her eyes which she _has_ right now, to maintain the portal. Totally makes sense—"

"The Byakugan Princess. Lord Hamura's first daughter."

* * *

A force gripped his chest where he laid her hand. Sasuke found himself paralyzed. Hinata slowly opened her eyes and the last thing he saw was the reflection of light from his dichromic eyes in her mirror-like ones.

Suddenly, it was dark. But then a presence stood behind him. As he turned, he saw Hinata.

" ** _We meet at last, Sasuke Uchiha."_**

"Hinata…" He was stunned for a moment and with a shift of stance, turned guarded. "Who are you?"

" ** _Would you believe I could never convince her to put you under the influence of the seal when I, in the past, would be desperate to have everyone changed into who they should be? No wonder she woke me."_**

"What do you want from me?"

" ** _I'd like to show you something. Shall we change her reality and see, once and for all, which truth stands firm: yours or Hinata's. I'd like to see myself. Because if my way had been right, then I shall fulfil that which I failed to do."_**

つづく

* * *

Dokufuku Mochiin Corner! 田

(1) Demonic Statue of the Outer Path (DSOP) – When Sasuke saw Toneri's scroll inside that abandoned library way back Cherry Blossoms part 8, I wrote Ten-tailed beast there instead of DSOP. That was a mistake… not really, but there's a difference.

* * *

Naruto-verse Facts:

To those readers who don't know what the DSOP is, back when Kaguya decided to go evil, turning humans into white zetsu through the Infinite Tsukuyomi jutsu, her sons Hagoromo and Hamura (referred to as Hagy and Hamy from now on) fought against her. Because of the betrayal, she turned diva mad and combined with the god tree to transform into the ten-tailed beast so she could defeat them and reclaim the chakra her sons inherited from her.

The battle ended with the bros Hagy and Hamy sealing their mother the ten-tails by separating chakra and body. The chakra was sealed inside Hagy which he used to create the nine tailed beasts, and the body or the husk of the ten-tails, referred to as the DSOP, was used as the core of the moon that Hagy and Hamy made using Chibaku Tensei power. In Naruto-verse, you can create planets and satellites with your Rinnegan or Tenseigan eyes. And lots of chakra.

[The god tree was this humongous tree with chakra-giving powers and also chakra-sucking powers when used with Infinite Tsukuyomi. It grew on Earth, and nothing is known about who planted it or why it grows. Kaguya and her alien Ootsutsuki kinsmen are said to travel the universe in search of god trees. They eat the chakra fruits of god trees and consume all chakra of a planet until it dies.

With the Infinite Tsukuyomi jutsu, the people who got their chakra sucked by the god tree turn into White Zetsu clones who are like zombies. On a side note, the Black Zetsu who was responsible for Indra and Madara's evil in Naruto was actually Kaguya's will.

The White Zetsu don't have emotions or personality. In FLGW, the boy Kyouka brought with her smiled at Hinata which implies he's actually kinda human.]

* * *

Thanks to emva9x, Tayyabalaraib-senpai, SilverDreamsCA, dear guest, SilverKitsune2017-senpai, and Wandering Ship for the reviews and comments!

I had a lot of fun writing this chapter!

The Five Thousand Hyuuga Virtues is an exaggeration of the Five Virtues of Confucius. The _jen_ or _ren_ in some sites, and the _chih_ are taken from those Five Virtues which I never had an ounce of inkling before. I just mixed and matched what I could from blogs. I sometimes borrow elements from the Chinese culture when portraying the Hyuuga since their logo has yin and yang on it.

 _Just then the carriage opened and a woman with_ ** _skin white as snow and lips crimson as blood_** -Snow White, is that you? I couldn't think any other way to describe this OC. Mako's history with Sasuke and the Zetsu kid will appear in the FLGW future prequel, Chestnut Blossoms. She's based from the character Chino in Sasuke Shinden: Sunrise.

* * *

 **About Kyouka Daidouji aka Mako Ootsutsuki:**

In this chapter, I only included the Kyouka parts that are important to move the story forward. But in response to the reviews, I will clarify some things about her.

During her early years, Kyouka/Mako was a shrine maiden in Kaguya's Shrine which belonged to the Ootsutsuki Clan. (In canon, long time ago, Kaguya Ootsutsuki was regarded as a diety who used her powers to maintain peace among warring humans until she decided to turn humans into White Zetsus.) They are far weaker than the pure-blooded Ootsutsuki. Their bloodline limit has affinity to water and earth. They could make any drought-stricken land fertile. They don't have strong influence in the Shinobi world and lived in seclusion somewhere near Mountains' Graveyard. In canon, Mountains' Graveyard was the secret base of Obito and Madara.

I imagined Kyouka as once a pure girl. She easily fell in love with a wandering young man, who was the eldest son of the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, though she's basically a bought bride. He bought her with the promise of sending help for her clan who had members suffering from sickness. Her line in the Sasuke's flashback saying "they were being taken care of..." was reference to this promise. The Daimyo's eldest son married her because he wanted to prove his diminishing worth by marrying a young girl who could solve the drought problem the capital was facing at the time. Since she married an important person in the society, her name was changed.

Kyouka's husband was cruel and an adulterer. He did a lot of bad stuff to her but got away with it. She turned evil, did scandalous things, and was also infamous for being dangerous. (Her bloodline limit, filled with hate, developed blood bending-oops! that's another series but I like it!) Her husband ultimately got sick of her presence in the capital. Sasuke was called for the mission of bringing her back to her childhood home.

It's implied in the conversations in this chapter that Kyouka went to Sound Village and imposed on Sasuke's former teammates to escort her so she could inform him of the enlargement of space warps, only finding out about his marriage in the process.

* * *

 _DM Corp Mind Palace Board Meeting Part II… (See DM's profile for Part I)_

 _Due to above average number of reviews on Red White Lotus part I, DM Perfectionist got reanimated. Because the hearts of readers were touched, DM Emo felt it had to continue living as well._

 ** _AGENDA_**

SASUKE'S POETIC SIDE

 **DM Obsessed** : Sasuke in canon is actually poetic, isn't he?

Covers eye for emo effect*

[Sasuke voice] "I have long since closed my eyes… my only goal is in the darkness."

Turns as though leaving but glances back coolly *

[Sasuke voice] "We were alone and starved of love. Kids that live in a world full of hate."

In relation to this, my question is, in FLGW is Sasuke good or bad at poetry?

Emo doesn't answer and continues to mull about poetic phrases.

 **DM Perfectionist** : A-a-aaa. That question's underhanded. I know where you're trying to get to. I've considered it. The poems are not really bad per se. We're running an enterprise here, Obsessed. No rhyme? No meter? Those don't matter. You know what matters? The illusion. Even our dialogue relies on the illusion that SasuHina's speaking Japanese. That's the value-added we're going for here.

 **DM Cynic:** Did you know? There's a saying from the rice flour ancestors: "Thou shan't tryeth to fooleth the audience."

 **DM Perfectionist:** Dear Cynic, people can just pretend it's Japanese haiku and what we wrote is just the translated version. They can live with that. See this real life example from the legendary Matsuo Bashou:

 _Furu ike ya / Kawazu tobikomu / Mizu no oto_ /

That's 5-7-5 for sure, but look at this one translation by Lafacadio Hearn:

 _Old pond!/ Frog jumps in/ Water's sound_ /

Its sounds weird, there's no meter, the rhyme is _meh_ , but the illusion's there.

 **DM Cynic:** Right. Read what you permitted Emo to write.

 **DM Perfectionist:** The sun departs to the west/ Birds don't cry/ The wind doesn't mourn/

So?

 **DM Cynic:** Did you notice the translation to that pond poem having 2-3-2? Doesn't it bear resemblance to 5-7-5? And what about ours, huh? That's 7-3-5. I think we call that a mess. Free verse doesn't even count. Are you really a perfectionist?

An existential crisis hits Perfectionist. It dies again.

 **DM Obsessed:** Wait. It's "WA - TER'S - SOUND". That's three syllables all. You lied! The translation was 2-3-3!

Cynic shrugs its shoulders.

 **DM Obsessed:** I know why you keep killing Perfectionist. You've always wanted to reign the DM Mind Palace, don't you? Sorry to break it to you but I've always believed in Perfectionist's principles. There's no way we'll ever accept a leader like you!

 **DM Cynic:** How dare you lowly?! *Falls on its knees and coughs red bean paste* Think I don't know your real name, DM Obsessed With Reviews?!

Lightning flashes in the background. Obsessed gasps.

 **DM Cynic:** *Spits out red bean paste* Sorry to break it to you but FLGW will never... Never get lots of reviews!

Cynic finally dies. Obsessed laughs like Sasuke in canon.

 **DM Obsessed:** You're lying! You're lying!... *Kneels in front of Emo* Hey Emo, Cynic was lying, right? Tell me! Please tell me, Emo!

Emo just looks at Obsessed sadly and sighs. Obsessed With Reviews dies. Emo chuckles and whistles a jolly tune.

 **DM Emo:** There's more beauty in peaceful silence than with nagging companions. May peace reign forever in DM Mind Palace. Amen.


	31. XXVI

The universe with numerous galaxies expressed scintillating colors suspended as though in an eternal still moment. All at once, upon his descent, the onslaught of starlight flashing in a frenzy, threatened to explode around him. Sasuke ducked to hide in the defense of his cloak from the blinding light.

A rush like the respiration of space cut off gave way to deafening quietude.

Beyond the thickness of his cloak whispered a buzzing bee, then the furor of rapid wings—tiny wings—seeming to grow by the multitude, regurgitating where he focused his hearing. His nostrils heeded to the scent of lilies. Coming out, he found himself in the middle of a white lily field basking in the view of a perfect sunlight, haven to an assortment of butterflies, bees, and dragon flies. Overhead, a covey of doves flew in circles forming a halo of light.

She appeared once more. With a face perfectly imitating Hinata's standing with him on a flower field so much like his own, his heart quivered slightly. For every bulb that grew came a secret dream—shame that made him feverish he couldn't speak his befuddled mind, wanting to see Hinata smile—so unlike the Uchiha Sasuke he'd known; an unfathomable self.

" ** _This is something you aim for, don't you? To travel dimensions freely. I know a thing or two about the Rinnegan in its full capacity."_**

Sasuke steeled his eyes and faced the Byakugan Princess, daughter of Hamura—or so she had introduced herself—Toneri's obsession, one whose statue he mindlessly zapped to pieces during their last fight.

" ** _Welcome,"_** she said, bearing a smile that was almost Hinata's own it made him sick in the gut. This woman has intentions still unknown and he'd rather be guarded lest he fall into deception. **_"But really, these are your flowers; your land. Aren't you curious what changed?"_**

Sasuke glare never receded. He didn't take her up on her question. Huge mirroring crystals encircled him and Sasuke saw his face transformed.

" _What's this?"_ Adding to his surprise were white petals that came out of his now voiceless mouth, floating in the air, falling to his fingers, the touch of every petal as palpable as they could be real. Part of his mind was keeping aware that none of it was real but every sentient reinforcement constantly proved him wrong.

" ** _Your new existence in this new reality."_** Mischief glinted in the Byakugan Princess' eyes. **_"I call it The World of Sasuke Uchiha's Original Intentions. You know it well._**

" ** _And now, there is only one way out."_**

 _Release my wife. Immediately._

With his head kept down, Sasuke sounded pleading with his mind's voice. But maybe he was. The situation was dire. He couldn't feel chakra in his veins; the surge of power easily gone, the networks a hollowed form of a remembered thing.

 _You must know what the Uchiha blood is capable of. This level of genjutsu—_

"— ** _is not just a simple illusion but an alternate reality, all consuming, cast using your Rinnegan. Remember, I am but a will. I reside within Hinata crossing over to you. Any attack you direct to me, you direct to her."_**

His quivering hands tightened to fists.

 _Do you do this to make fun of me? What's Hamura's daughter got to do with us?!_

" ** _Perhaps some things I've delegated myself to, heir of the Rinnegan,"_** answered the Byakugan Princess. ** _"As I've told you, I want to show you something. Whether we get to see it or not, depends on the both of you—on the strength of your bond. Hinata never chose to cast the white lotus seal on you. Do you know what that means? Surely your victory is almost assured. Why are you conflicted? "_**

 _You don't understand!_

Sasuke closed the distance between them, glaring down at the Byakugan Princess.

 _You don't understand._

" _Pit—"_ —his throat felt like closing up, drowning as he mouthed silenced words _—"Pitting against this reality is a losing battle."_

The Byakugan Princess stared at him blankly, thinking. With her hand raised, the clouds in the sky rushed in waves of alternating night and day. People sitting on picnic blankets chatting merrily began to appear.

" ** _Let's begin, shall we?"_**

* * *

 _•••_

* * *

 _Someday, I am on a journey._

 _Not a trail of leaves will tell of me._

 _You won't know of a lily bulb buried in the soil;_

 _I won't know the gentleness of your smile to a white flower._

* * *

It hasn't been a long while when the fogged window sills stayed shut and the clay roof tiles were saddled with white as she knitted a long red scarf for a many wintry nights. His confession in the witness of glowing moths might as well have been told yesterday or the previous hour and the moon ought to have stayed halved with crumbles orbiting on a still night as they defeated the enemy together holding hands with their chakra merged. The sensation from their first kiss remained unnamed, indescribable—the sweet culmination of a long love unrequited.

Were it not for Hanabi waking her that morning, calling her with a name so unreal, she would've forgotten. Her eyes had been so glued to rest to wake, her legs sore, her back beat up. Lethargy kept her from rolling off the bed but all at once, her mental lists came flooding in: who's seated next to whom, the orders put in for the food and beverages from local establishments, the invites, a bride's diplomatic etiquette keeping tabs on the list of very important persons attending, and other miscellaneous concerns. Thankfully all crossed-out with the help of Hokage Kakashi and their friends, the nightmares of taxing preparations were finally over and it was both a relief and nerve-wrecking. She dashed her way to bath and hadn't had a catch of breath to go over the ceremony in her head to practice her vows until the servants started curling her hair.

When she looked at the mirror, a white lily accentuating her lush wavy ponytail, she didn't recognize herself or the happiness that radiated from the woman staring back at her—Uzumaki Hinata.

 _Neji nii-san, I'm going to get married._

Rich pink showers of the cherry blossom seemed to pour profuse outside. The tickling scents of pollen and the redolence of fresh new leaves clung to the air inside her upbeat heart. Beside her, the contemplative groom was majestic in his black _mon-tsuki_ , his clear blue eyes looking out the glass windows to the bright future ahead over the carved faces of Konoha's former pillars, upon which in due time will his face be shown for all the world to see.

"'Nee-sama, it's time!" Hanabi called out beaming, holding Neji's portrait in her arms.

" _Hai,"_ Hinata answered as she faced Hanabi standing in the doorway with their father.

"Whhooa! Nee-sama you look sooo beautiful! Doesn't she, otou-sama?"

Before her father, she is no longer a child. But still she waited, on edge. Until it came—a smile on her father's face like a blooming flower. Her mother would be proud too.

She reached for Naruto's bandaged hand which held on to hers. And there was no greater realization that everything is in the right place.

" _Yosh,_ ready to go?" Naruto asked, his smile ever something to believe in. For the sake of everyone who had given their lives, she will live to the fullest.

The ceremony proceeded perfectly, notwithstanding feeling she might trip because Naruto was all she could see. At the reception under the fragrant falling petals of cherry blossoms, the gifts from everyone proved to be overwhelming ranging from Guy and Lee's acrobatic performance to Kiba's dramatic speech that had everyone's stomachs tied in knots to Gaara's shockingly elegant fan-and-sand dance presentation. There hadn't been a greater celebration since the war attended by Kage, Chuunin and Genin alike, people who believed in Naruto from across the Five Great Nations crossing borders akin to a one grand family lasting till the night blanketed over and the warmth of lit string paper lanterns suffused the fragrant spring evening air.

"Good evening, Sakura-chan." Hinata giggled as she waved at Sakura approaching them. She had never seen her so drunk before.

" _Aa-aa,_ you're suddenly— _hic—_ hard to catch," said Sakura pointing at Naruto. Her headband was fitted messily and her cheeks were ruddy, brighter than the pink shade of her dress, with a _sake_ bottle in hand as she closed in tipsily to Hinata and Naruto's table.

"What can I say?" Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "I just might be famous." He breezily smiled.

"Shut up! Don't let it get into your airhead, _airhead_!" Sakura swung her bottle as she dragged a chair to the table and plumped herself down, humming a lazy tune as she fished something out of her pocket and slapped it in front of Naruto and Hinata with a sleepy smile on her face. "For you."

It was a folded parchment. Naruto opened the paper and it only said one word:

 **寿**

Naruto breathed out a wry laugh. " _Kotobuki_ , huh? Such a smart-ass."

"Who is it from?" Hinata asked. The mirth in Naruto's eyes faded, at a loss of words to say.

"Some guy who can't be bothered to come."

Later that night, cloistered in the newlywed's chamber, Naruto snored like a dead log after having had too much to drink. Hinata watched his sleeping face, trying to hold her giggles in.

She remembered waking up with a receding bitterness gathered about inside her, making her feel hollow. Like she's forgetting something important—like a sad dream. She had searched through blurry figments with not a single image brought to light but the feeling stayed there. Like nostalgia. It must be that. Perhaps she'd miss just being by herself; perhaps she's also anxious. But none of those could supersede a lifetime's worth of happiness that she's feeling at the moment.

Deciding she had enough fun, she removed his black outer robe and rolled him over to place his head on the pillow, vetoing changing him herself into a more comfortable sleeping _yukata_ as she blushed even at the thought. In the process of arranging his hands over his stomach she found the letter still clutched in.

For Naruto to hold on to the letter dearly, the well-wisher who couldn't come with the beautiful handwriting must be very important and she couldn't help smile at the endearing gesture.

"I look forward to knowing more of the little things about you." She kissed Naruto's forehead.

* * *

 _Glancing at the path behind, I can pretend._

 _You'll idly wonder perchance._

 _Someday._

* * *

Fast came summer and Naruto got himself tangled with a brigade of little followers who aren't old enough to be admitted to the academy just yet—burly loyalists marked by scratched knees and elbows with mettle hearts who lurk outside the Hyuuga main gate, trying to bug him for games.

That day it was kites. Hinata got caught up, too.

"W-where are we going?" She laughed, breathing in the wind and feeling like she'd choked as Naruto almost stood up the seat of the bike, speeding up on the pedals.

Naruto looked back at the unyielding rowdy boys chasing with their rusty adult-sized bikes after the hawk-shaped shadow of the red kite tied to Hinata's seat.

"Anywhere! Our stop's when they're tired!" his huffing, shaky voice boomed. He smiled sheepishly and Hinata grabbed around his waist tighter, the bumps on the road making the metal seat hurt.

Up ahead, a different air wafted through. In a heartbeat,a myriad splotches of white zipped, taking her breath away.

Naruto clutched on the breaks and the tires crunched against the dirt. "Can't run anymore?" he shouted laughing.

"Naruto nii-san! You're really the best!" Genta breathlessly shouted back, slowing down his creaky vehicle with a few other boys running out of steam behind him.

Hinata got off the bike, eyes transfixed at the vast field of white flowers. In the background, zoning out of earshot, a resting group of Shinobi with their improvised picnic blanket which was a threadbare curtain spread out called to Naruto, inviting him to eat beef jerky with them as they watch the flowers. Another group wanted him in on their dried anchovy snacks and then another for rice crackers in an almost never ending heckling over Naruto's attention. Laughter. The chirping birds. The buzzing of bees, children's voices in echoes wobbling the white petals ever so slightly. The song of paradise, beauty overwhelming her, resonating with her soul.

Naruto faced Hinata, giving her a confused look. "Hey, what's the matter?"

She shook her head. "It's nothing." She wiped away her tears and smiled. "Slowly, the wounds from the war are truly healing… I had this exact vision once. It's so beautiful. I didn't know such a place existed in the village."

"It didn't used to," said Naruto, pensively looking at the field of flowers just as she did. "After the war, they say the Lone Gardener made these flowers grow."

"The Lone Gardener?"

"Those aunties told me. They frequent here." He pointed at a group of civilian women having their picnic with sunny smiles waving back at Naruto. "He's a spirit… At least that's what their version says."

Hinata giggled. "I see."

"After the war, people had a lot of stories to tell."

"No doubt." Tucking her hair behind her ear as she drew close to a bloom, she stooped down taking a whiff. This would be kindness if kindness had a scent. "The ones who planted these flowers have so much love in their hearts that they couldn't contain it they just have to plant and grow it to flowers. Without thinking of gain, without wanting anything in return, just this—joy in the beauty shared with everyone. I hope the planters see the happiness their white lilies have brought."

Naruto nodded and gave a firm smile. "I sure hope they do."

A strong breeze whooshed in, sweeping her hair up. The old ladies squealed and the picnic blankets were almost carried away. As the wind died down, in the field of white flowers stood a cloaked man. He was fully clothed in black and constant gentle breeze seemed to blow upon his raven hair. His face was part flower, reminiscent of lotus petals flared by his forehead, but about his mouth and jaw had the pale flesh of man. Dark as the blackest _sumi_ pigment ground on ink stone were his eyes, like an endless pit—a cursed portrait—but he remained still and didn't seem like he would cause any harm. Greatly disturbed at first, Hinata kept her eyes at the man as though reckoning a wild beast and more so mesmerized as she pointed him out to Naruto. The cloaked man stood out of place amongst the white lilies yet Naruto didn't see. No one else did.

"Hey, Naruto?" she asked as Naruto languidly pedalled back to the compound.

"Hm?"

"Has anyone seen the Lone Gardener?"

Naruto laughed. "Those aunties maybe. Most probably, the Lone Gardener's just made up."

Hinata fell silent for a while, listening to the whistle of the bike wheels.

"Seeing everyone while nobody sees him—it must be lonely." She merely watched when Naruto was once the same.

* * *

"You're the Lone Gardener, aren't you?" she dared to ask of the cloaked flower spirit one day.

Strident screeching of cicadas pulsed with the heat wave and drowned out every other sound including her voice scraping her dry throat. The flower spirit didn't move and just stood still with the white flowers undulating at the passing wind and she wondered if he was the benign kind that doesn't respond or could never hear at all.

Staring was rude, more so with giant beads of sweat on the brow and sun beaten hair clinging to every part of her skin but she marvelled at his eyes for they weren't human; a pair of void like unoccupied holes of a mask. She was slightly panting but the spirit seemed cold—a removed observer unearthly cloaked—and felt cold, oddly enough she was growing gooseflesh with each passing minute.

Perhaps she had been staring too long holding her breath because when he whipped around to pick a flower and gave it to her, her constricted lungs eased up.

"T-Thank you," she said, the end note trying to pass a question as she slowed her breath at the overwhelming sense of receiving the bestowal of a spirit. "I think…" She looked at him, biting inside her cheek, and decided to smile. "I think I'll give it to my Neji nii-san. He was like this flower to me."

The Lone Gardener nodded once and picked a few more, giving her a fair bunch. Hinata softly giggled out of courtesy and took the flowers. The Lone Gardener's long fingers seemed to possess so much strength, but with their power withheld, constructed familiar grace, unobtrusively making the fresh bleeding stems seeming overtly delicate.

When she told him he had beautiful hands, the Lone Gardener looked at them with a curious tilt of his neck as though he'd gotten a new pair and turned his head side to side.

"It's true." She giggled again and gave a bow. "Please continue to look after the white lilies."

Halfway down the middle of the road going out the flower field, she looked back and he stood there watching her still, a steadfast lone black figure unyielding to transient particles of white behind like misty snow, like sunlight orbs. Like a dream. And he was a real thing bound to it, unable to be free.

* * *

•••

* * *

 _Nice weather today. There's a lot a people today. There's no one today. Seems like it's gonna rain._ Mere niceties said to strangers. And even though she's generous with her smiles, that's just how she was with everyone else.

To be seen by her as a new entity was suffocating. Clouds overhead fleet faster than he breathes, night disappears soon as it began and when she comes, time turns back to normal but when he sees her eyes, each time happier and more beautiful, he shivers inside.

What was he trying to get back? Is she still there?

She'd laugh saying: _"My husband said something really funny during breakfast."_

Her eyes twinkle, and turned at him, he doesn't know who he is. Because he couldn't be found there. Anywhere.

Over and over again, in her eyes, her fingers, the corners of her mouth, her lips—he wasn't anywhere.

Every flower picked makes for remembrance or a chance to be freed slipped away. And Sasuke trembles from the marrow, the resonance of the latter reverberating ever stronger.

He ran a petal on her cheek. Her lilac irises still, pulling him to the clarity of lightning-like nerves. And his heart pounds twice, thrice as much. The petal brushed on her lips. She blinked. In that moment, he glimpsed at death.

But then she smiled, took his flower and said goodbye.

He waits again, more painfully aware of being alive than when she last came.

* * *

•••

* * *

Naruto's shoulders slumped as he showed up by the doorway into the kitchen. Boxes of kitchenware and the microwave with peeled off seals were tucked in the corner which Hinata decided to organize for another day. Lately, Naruto's work had been at the Hokage's office, assisting Kakashi on paperwork as part of his training, sometimes coming home late with marks of fatigue strewn under his eyes. Hinata decided to stay at home to ease up their transfer into the new house.

"My head hurts. My eyes feel dried up," Naruto groaned as he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind.

She pulled him to the table. "I cooked you something you really like."

"Really?!" His face brightened up as he eagerly took a seat. "Sure old man Teuchi's my guy but I haven't got the time lately to use the coupo—" The grin on Naruto's face weakened though he tried to hold it up as Hinata brought in a bowl of tomato soup.

Much of her afternoon had been spent searching up almost all of the neatly labelled boxes out in the living room, the kitchen, and even the bedroom, frustrated with herself because she unexpectedly misplaced the ceramic stock pot with the spare sheets and comforters. Stubbornly through the hardship, she insisted on the stock pot to cook Naruto a comfort food after a long, hectic day.

"T-thanks Hinata. Tomato ramen doesn't sound so bad either. I guess I really do need vegetables, huh?" He sipped on the soup and had a peculiar look on his face as he scratched the back of his head.

"Does it taste bad?"

Naruto posed a raised thumb with a matching oversized grin. "It's perfect! Just the way I like it."

Later that night, as Hinata emptied the pockets of Naruto's pants before dumping it into the washing machine, she found five crumpled coupons from Ichiraku's Ramen. She had intended to cook him his favorite food. Where had she gotten the idea that he liked tomatoes?

* * *

"I think something's wrong with me," she said to the Lone Gardener, deciding to take a walk after having finished putting away the laundry and the fish from the fridge had been thawed for the evening stew.

"Lately, I've been feeling like I know certain things. I remember them as being that way but then it turns out to be untrue. Like yesterday. I told my husband I'd serve him his favorite, which I knew even before to be ramen—his love for ramen is well-known." She softly giggled." But do you know what I thought he'd really like? Something with tomatoes. It's strange because my husband never once mentioned he liked tomatoes—I'm not making any sense right now, don't I? I don't know anyone who liked tomatoes. Even my sister is picky with them."

The Lone Gardener seemed uncharacteristically interested as he suddenly perked up, his full attention to her.

She blinked, questioning. "Do you like tomatoes?" The Lone Gardener nodded. "I guess I'll give you an offering the next time I'll come."

* * *

•••

* * *

With a small basket of tomatoes she said, looking at her feet: "I wish there's a lot I can do to help. I'm not really perfect and I still lack confidence… Do you think I'm doing alright?"

He mistook at first. It was a suspension of disbelief. Her stare cutting straight and deep, the laser sharp implications cutting to the core of the matter—his matter—Sasuke thought she was asking him. About him. And her. About them.

But then he thought. And thought after. And thought again. And decidedly pretended to act, giving a small smile and nodded.

She smiled facing him and said: "Thank you, Lone Gardener-san. You're very kind."

He handed her a bunch of white lilies, a customary feeling, but he places it high over her head where she won't see, casting a shade from the bright sunlight.

" _You're the kind one, and I'm just a loser who can't see things any other way,"_ he said, and the white petals from his mouth fell into the cushion of white petals, camouflaging.

* * *

•••

* * *

Every time she leaves, he'd follow her and stops by the threshold of the last row of flowers, never stepping beyond that.

"Don't want to go somewhere else? Like the town or maybe just somewhere beyond there?" Hinata pointed at the bordering oak trees that grew by the roadside after the main path to the garden forked out. The Lone Gardener shook his head and though the spirit was a foot taller than she was, his slouched shoulders, unbefitting of one possessing strong beautiful hands, made an impression of an abandoned child.

"Or maybe you can't..." Her eyes widened at the realization. "A-are you _cursed_?"

He nodded, and in that single nod there was more gravity than all her idle talk put together.

She made time to bring the Lone Gardener some tomatoes almost every day. The Lone Gardener always accepted whatever she brought after that: fried fish, oranges, and a pot of _nabe_ even if her ears froze bringing it over for the flowers miraculously bloomed during winter.

"I really like talking to you," she told him.

Somehow, it felt like summer was just yesterday but moments seemed to have skipped past and it was suddenly New Years. A huge gathering would always be at the Hyuuga main family compound ever since she could remember. It has always been a hectic affair and everyone in the family would help out.

"—Because you always listen well even if you don't say anything. My friends are busy with their own lives and I can't just be selfish and talk about myself. But with you, I guess I could be a little bit selfish since you don't live your life like we humans do… Naruto-kun is someone I really liked since I was very young. Now that I finally married him, I want to do my very best. Talking to you had been a great help, Lone Gardener-san."

She gave a bow, deep to the level of her waist.

"Thank you for always. I look forward to seeing you this year too. And thank you for always looking after the flowers."

Just as she was leaving, the Lone Gardener did something he'd never done before, holding on the edge of her sleeve as though a pleading gesture.

"I'll be back." He held even tighter but Hinata didn't take offense from it. The warmth emitted by his hand felt very human. If she used Byakugan, would she see chakra networks, blood vessels, and entrails and a heart?

"I promise I'll be back. Have I ever lied to you?"

The Lone Gardener slowly let go, hesitantly.

* * *

Some say a _jutsu_ protects the flower field and keeps them alive. But only she really knew of the Lone Gardener. She doesn't know if he eats the food she gives him, or however it works for his kind, but she likes giving to him. He always accepted with both his hands carefully as though what she gives him were expensive fragile gifts.

"Here's what I brought today." Hinata laid a small box on his hands held out to her.

"Open it."

The Lone Gardener opened the box and stared at its soft round contents.

"It's unsweetened _dango_ from the Mochi Village. They're well known for their specialties. My husband had the chance to pass by and was very kind to bring me some. But I'm giving them to you. Somehow, I get the feeling that you like food that are easy to eat but not sweet. I think you hate sweet things."

Unexpectedly, the Lone Gardener nodded with vigor. He must be a ghost passionate about food. Or had been waiting for a long time for someone to give him what he liked.

"I'm glad to have guessed right." She smiled. "I'll be going now. As always, please watch over the flowers." She dipped her head and turned. The Lone Gardener followed her and when she'd looked back he'd also stop his tracks. Just then, she felt a slight brush, or was it just a gust of wind, on her wrist. When she looked, it was the Lone Gardener's hand reaching out to her. But she was out the flower field and his hand froze, not making it far to reach her wrist.

"I'll be back."

* * *

•••

* * *

Sasuke stared at the _dango._ Hinata had said the baby liked unsweetened _dango_. Now he sees her some other way and he understood her saying it out of consideration for him. Perhaps everything she had said had been in consideration of him. And now her simple words blossom with multi-layered intentions—a frightening woman. In the end, he had been nothing but a full-on jerk.

… " _Just like Naruto-kun, you are a good man, Sasuke. And I love you."_

" ** _Don't you think she's slowly remembering? I told you it would be easy victory,"_** said the Byakugan Princess, circling him, the flowers bending to give way to her.

Sasuke knew better. The longer Hinata stayed inside the _genjutsu,_ with more attachments, the more she will be taken by it. Worse, her body will be paralyzed and her consciousness trapped.

 _My_ pregnant _wife is not your plaything. Outside all this, I have a very important mission concerning the safety of the world. I have no time for games,_ Sasuke expressed with his thoughts to the Byakugan Princess now manifesting beside him.

" ** _This is not a game Sasuke Uchiha. My will has an important mission too which is why it exists. Should you succeed and Hinata's truth prevails, there will be reward. Should you fail… I will do that which I failed to do in the past."_**

 _What was it?_

She took a halt, the fluid sleeves of her white _kimono_ blown by the unceasing breeze. **_"If I'm going to give a truthful answer to that question, will you answer mine first?"_**

 _Do I have a choice?_

" ** _Why did you tell Hinata she was forcing herself?"_**

 _You read minds, don't you?_

" ** _I saw you want to believe her. Badly. But you chose to hurt. Why?"_**

Sasuke stared out into space, pondering as he brought a _dango_ to his mouth and chewed slowly.

 _I thought I could read minds too._

Then he waited. Making it barely bearable, he'd lose himself to the wheeling of the sky, the light trails of stars swimming to plain blue and emerges again, scribbling against the dark.

She didn't come.

And the day after.

* * *

•••

* * *

With a cup of tea in hand, she peered at him through the opening, steam wafting to her chin.

It is one of those rare moments when she catches him with a shadow hung over his face, his brows knitted together, his eyes shunning their usual glimmer, and his silence giving way to mystery as he kept a tight focus poring over scrolls and jutting down notes. The curve of his spine bent over his desk was a hard worker's trademark she admired.

 _Plok. Plok. Plok._

Heeding to the pounding sound, she found its source inside her ears. A blurry image flashed before her, freshening clarity of the silhouette of a man with his pale back turned to her contrasting the darkness of his hair, beating the ground with a hoe repeatedly.

 _Plok. Plok. Plok._

"Hinata?"

She blinked, finding herself spacing off.

"What is it?" Naruto straightened his back as he stretched his arms.

"I brought you tea." She closed the door behind her.

It had often been humid which didn't help at all with the discomfort. She would stay in bed more often than she'd like when the vertigo struck, a sick feeling welling-up in her stomach. With a pencil and a sketchpad, she distracted herself with drawing, only getting up to cook just as she's able and waits for Naruto until the evening.

"You're not feeling well again? I think it's better if you see the doctor," said Naruto, touching her forehead. She slightly nodded and pulled the blanket higher up to her chin. Naruto eyed the sketchpad beside her. "What were you drawing?" He stared intently still at her drawing of the Lone Gardener for a few seconds and lay beside her. "It's a man, isn't it?"

Hinata blushed. She isn't exactly a well-versed artist enough to capture the spirit's beauty.

Naruto laughed. "I'll get jealous." His blue eyes darted at her, looking deeply and smiled affectionately, caressing her cheek. In a flash, the clarity of Naruto's eyes like placid waters turned dark and twisted to sharp petals of bright red.

She gasped and pushed him away, blinking the confusing vision away as she ran to the toilet, locking the door behind her before vomiting her meal out for the fifth time that day. Naruto kept knocking asking if she was okay. She opened the door after rinsing her mouth and flushing the toilet bowl.

"I think I'll see a doctor. Tomorrow." She anxiously bit on her lip. "And maybe get my eyes checked too."

* * *

Weeks after going into the summer festival, she started feeling more herself and only vomited in the mornings. She and Naruto couldn't pass up on the fireworks display that evening. After eating candied apples with Ino and the gang at the stalls, Naruto suggested they go to a higher place rather than watch the fireworks with a lot of people where the explosions would be too loud.

She knew just the perfect place.

Holding hands, they strolled past the fir trees listening to the crickets and Naruto's whistling with only the moon as their guide. The white lilies were ever blooming and when Naruto took a comfortable spot with the cushion of grasses, idly waiting for the fireworks to start, Hinata let go of his hand and walked further into the rows of flowers.

"Where are you going?"

"Just searching for something..."

* * *

•••

* * *

"Good evening. It's been long."

When she finally showed up, he hid his presence until she reached the middle part of the field searching for him.

"I came here with my husband. We're going to watch the fireworks. I don't know if you know of them but they're like bright flowers that quickly bloom in the sky, and fades just then." Her fingers fiddled. "Um… I'm sorry that I haven't visited."

She wore a simple pink _yukata_ with childish patternsshowing her ankles _._ It was his first time seeing her in one, so vibrant and carefree, far from the elaborateness of Hyuuga _kimono_ because he never took her out to summer festival to watch the fireworks. Sasuke stooped to pick a flower, snapping the stem shorter and moved close to her. She subtly flinched at the proximity. Carefully, respecting distance, Sasuke put the flower on her hair behind her ear. He would've liked to caress her hair but then she giggled, taking the flower out and fixed it herself.

"It's a bit big it might fall," she said.

Sasuke went back to picking flowers, eyeing another row, selecting only the best ones he could find under the dim moonlight. She followed behind him, accepting every stalk he'd offer her. Naruto's voice called to her from across the field. Hinata called back and Sasuke dreaded the moment she turned her eyes away from him. With her hands now full, she thanked him for the flowers and looking down, fitted her foot on his footstep pressed on the humus.

"You have tracks. Almost as if you're human… Big feet too." She smiled at him showing her teeth, hinging on laughter. "The fireworks will start soon. You should watch." Wide-eyed, she kept glancing at him while trying to turn to leave for the opposite direction. "Actually… I remember"—His heart trembled—"I have something to tell you. I just found out about it. Maybe you'd be happy, too."

He moved closer, all ears for her, his breath shortening, imprisoned to the top of his lungs.

… "… _There is only one way out."_

"The reason why I haven't been able to come was this." She laid her palm flat on her belly. "I'm having a baby. I really haven't noticed before but it's been growing for three months now."

That did it.

He didn't care anymore. Were there rules in the first place? No, he's a prisoner. A prisoner who doesn't bear a choice breaking or following rules.

Coming out of the character he had faced her with, he firmly grabbed her shoulders and watched the shock spread across her features as he tried to scream his words out.

" _You can't stay here any longer! You must remember!"_

White petals spilled and sputtered.

" _I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I'm sorry for everything—"_

Everything doesn't even cut it—not when it comes to her. For being burdensome. For the children and people killed by people because of him. Going out town, she couldn't even hold her head high, hiding behind shadowed alleyways even when she's a sunflower.

" _I'm sorry I can't make you happy—"_

And most of all:

" _I'm sorry for being me."_

Unable to peel and shed off his dreary existence; unable to spill like the white petals turning to bloody red filling his mouth, floating mid-air in a whirl that she couldn't read his lips.

"L-Lone G-Gardener-san, y-you're s-scaring me."

Fear was all he saw in her eyes and he hated that. If her life wasn't at stake, he would've cared. He would've stopped then and there. But he thought about the baby and fierce-eyed Hanabi and Hiashi-san and the world—nothing would make sense there if she wasn't in it. Grabbing her wrist, he gripped her nape and swooped in to kiss her mouth. Any resistance he felt burgeoning in her bones, he strangled with more strength and an increasingly fervid prayer on her lips, pouring himself out even when she doesn't reach out to him like how she warmly often do, deeper pressing in even if she squirmed with all her might. She tried to gasp for air but he never gave her the chance, desperately summoning his wife, kissing her senseless until he felt her resistance weaken.

When he parted from her, the heat of her moist breath searing his lips, he slowly opened his eyes.

The boom of fireworks flashing in the sky pierced through the lull of crickets. In Hinata's eyes diluted blue and green and red in melee, a subtle sentiment budding—

Hinata— _his_ Hinata.

He cupped her face gently as though holding a fragile, newly opened bud. A force laid on his chest sent him two steps back, her open hands wrapped with chakra shaking as she held them up. Tears sprang forth, marring her cheeks. Veins around her eyes popped up, her coreless orbs darting about his parts, seeing through his cloak.

"Why… who are you?"

That was the last time he saw of her.

つづく

* * *

Dokufuku Mochiin Corner! 田

I would like to thank onlyluna, downtomars, Himesama17, SilverKitsune2017-senpai, emva9x, Lady Krack, dear guest, Bleque, Bexbluedragon76, and Tayyabalaraib-senpai for the reviews. Also to everyone who added this story in their hearts and minds, my love goes out to all of you.

My aim for this chapter is to make your hearts hurt. When you watch Naruto Shippuden during Naruto's wedding, I want you to hurt seeing Sasuke's letter sent with a messenger hawk to Sakura. I want you to think of the hidden sentiment behind that single kanji on a piece of paper expressing his best wishes. Sending it to Naruto would only prove to be bothersome. Sending it to _her—_ he couldn't possibly. As he took a halt looking back, I want you to hurt at the smile he showed. I want you to hurt at the most honest smile he's ever showed in all his grown up life because the white lilies are fully blooming somewhere in Konoha.

 **T** he next chapter is dedicated to pro-uchiha whom I dearly miss; to gabrielleannele—I 'm keeping my promise if you still remember and that is if you still read FLGW; to ForgetMeNutella12, 50shadesofsharkey, flornoir, blackhellbutterfly, Andreia453, to dear Selena Dark Blood—finally the full mochi.


	32. XXVIII

**_NOT A NEW CHAPTER; (Resolution) EDITED_**

* * *

 _He whispered in her ear. She doesn't hear the sound of his voice but in her heart was a molten rock, turning liquid like gold, like honey gurgling at the pit of her tummy. Her nose rested at the crook of his neck, the expanse of virgin snow but not completely as small bumps of scars thrummed between her lips. His fingers drew shapeless patterns made of electric dreams on her back._

She jolted awake at Boruto's fitful cries.

Naruto huddled to the opposite side of the bed and with his eyes barely open, turned to her direction and murmured something inaudible as he tried to get up from bed.

"I'll get it," Hinata told him.

After feeding him, she rocked Boruto to sleep, mindlessly humming as she cradled the gentle small head on her shoulder, covering it with her hand. Looking out the window, she mulled over how the night sky makes for letting the smaller stars shine brighter. She looked past the outline of trees as she often do waking up from dreams, past the thick veiling of slumbering light and she'd see a silhouette stirring a chemical hodgepodge—there can't be a name for it.

She won't let it.

Even if Naruto's handling of chopsticks started to look crass, like they don't fall elegantly enough between his fingers as he dipped the edges on the bowl or clip a piece of fish flesh. Naruto grins too much when just a smirk, a small sure curve at one end of his lips would do so much if he believed.

But there can't be a name for it. She won't let it.

* * *

"Okaa-san, can't you do anything else?!" Boruto complained. "You can't do horned beetle and frogs! Didn't anybody teach you anything except lotus? Flowers are not for boys!"

" _Gomen,_ okaa-san is not very good at origami, you see," she said as she folded another crease on the red paper, trying to finish another lotus Boruto would probably end up just ignoring. One can never know how fast children grow. A moment and they sob for milk, barely holding a bottle on their own. The next moment, they know what they want and see to it that they get what they want. "Oh, let's stop this and just take a walk outside."

She passed by the road leading to a small forest of oak intentionally, tugging her son by the hand. She stared at the familiar path, wondering what lay beyond that as if she bore a curse herself.

"Are you scared, okaa-san?"

"W-why would Boruto say so?"

"You don't actually go there but you always stop here and then just space off and do nothing."

"I-I do?" Hinata tried to hide her confusion with a smile. Guess she does. She bit her lip as she thought. "There… used to be lots of beautiful flowers growing there… I just wondered what happened to them."

Boruto's brows knitted, looking at her like she said something utterly absurd. "There's nothing there. It's just a place with dead things."

"How"—she gulped—"How would you know that?"

"I just know. If you don't believe me—" Boruto pulled her arm. "Why don't we see it?"

"No!" Hinata calmed herself. "No. Let's head home now."

Later that evening, after the dishes had been dried up and put away, Naruto finally arrived home, the lights in the room suddenly switched on.

"You asleep already?" he asked.

She didn't answer and remained lying on the bed, looking out the window. The mattress moved when he plopped to lay down beside her.

"Don't lie on the bed unless you've changed," she said. "You can take a bath if you want. I'll prepare it for you."

Naruto laughed weakly. " _Hai, hai."_ But he didn't move and just minutely shifted so she could feel him closer on her back turned away from him. "Hinata, do you think I'll become a great hokage?"

She looked at him, finding him already staring at her. "Of course."

"You'll be there with me when it happens, right?"

… " _If that time comes, will you be there with me?"_

Feeling nailed on the spot, words failed to imbue her mind. A voice so particular, non-existing but sounding like it had always been there slowly emerged to definition.

… " _If that time comes, will you be there with me?"_

What was she supposed to say? What did she answer? Yes, it was—

"As long as there's breath in me and I am your wife, certainly." Getting up, she answered to the wall blankly. A boat. The night sky. The stars. A foreign name.

"Sasuke-kun."

… " _I think that even if Sasuke-kun's hair turns to gray, you'd still be very cool."_

… " _If that time comes, will you be there with me?"_

… " _As long as there's breath in me and I am your wife, certainly."_

Hinata vomited straight on the sink. Boruto sat by the table, drinking his bedtime glass of milk, watching her wretchedness, her crushed soul liquefied to a dross putridity.

"'Tou-san, what's wrong?" she heard him say, and she wondered why they won't fade away their voices clearer than the voice of memories.

"I think your 'kaa-san's having a new baby. What if it's a sister, huh, _Boruto nii-san_?" Naruto teased.

With her knees threatening to give up, she ran to the door unlocking the bolts with trembling hands, the taste of vomit still in her mouth. Outside the rain poured out blurring out the road and the neighbors' houses with the lights by the window barely visible.

"Where are you going okaa-san?" Boruto clutched at her shirt just as she doggedly stepped out into the rain, making both their faces wet, his big blue eyes so young and precious filled with piteous bewilderment. Naruto called him out, pulling him back into the doorway.

"Hinata, what's the matter?" Naruto gravely asked, stepping into the rain with her, his huge hands now lodged firmly on her shoulders. He took her in his arms, enveloping her fully with warmth. "Let's talk about it, okay?"

What had she done? The question now rang clearer, impaling her to silent death, and the lights turned obscure, distancing illuminations casting derision. Rain fell as cold icicles on her cheeks, but the heat of her tears and Naruto's body engulfing her had raw gelidity in pins and needles sliding gently on her skin that far surpassed.

* * *

•••

* * *

For days on end, the dark tint of the sky swiftly rushes past like thick carbon and smoke from an eternally dying, eternally resurrecting combustion.

But still not a silhouette in sight.

 _Do it,_ Sasuke declared, passing his thoughts to the nowhere to be seen Byakugan Princess.

Golden shimmers convened before him and the Byakugan Princess appeared once again.

 **"** ** _Do you know what you ask of me? I am yet to tell you what I failed to do and you tell me to do it without knowing what it was?"_**

 _If it gets Hinata out of here, I don't care._

 **"** ** _Even if there's a chance that she's coming back and remembers you?"_**

 _She's not coming back... Do it._

The Byakugan Princess strolled languidly, her barefoot on the dark ground, the diaphanous trail of her robe touching the thorns and thistles, the dried and the rotten.

 **"** ** _Where are the flowers, Sasuke? I don't see them anywhere."_**

Sasuke stood surrounded by the death of thousands. He had merely watched as the flowers lost their radiance gradually, clinging to the edge of former brilliance, their stems curved out to wilt like bent poisoned bodies.

 **"** ** _The thing which I failed to do was seal the darkness inside Indra. There was so much hate inside him that I was overcome with fear. This emptiness—see for yourself. Other things will grow from here—ugly things. You are the same with in Indra in this regard: people who deny hope in themselves and in others; people who refuse to see its light. What is love? What is the meaning of life? The Sage of Six Paths seeking the path of ninshu constantly posed these questions to himself as someone who traverse dimensions abroad. Without believing in hope, you won't possess the answers. You will be no different from the great enemies you will face."_**

 _I don't know love. But when I look at Hinata, I do. I think I do. Apart from her it's something I don't possess. As to the meaning of my life, it's simply to protect. Because I can. And this is how I am. As a ninja._

 **"** ** _So you won't hold on to hope because you're a ninja?"_**

 _Hope? That's Naruto's thing… Which is why I protect from the shadows. What others call hope, I can only call it wishful thinking. If you had so much taken from you, you fear holding on to anything. Letting go becomes a necessity._

 **"** ** _I see. But still, this will doesn't agree. I must seal you with the White Lotus seal. You will be_** _ **renewed, and you, as you are now, will be gone. A new self.**_

Sasuke smirked.

 _You Ootsutsuki speak my language. It's erasing my memories, isn't it? And what would become of an empty-headed Rinnegan bearer, Byakugan Princess?_

 **"** _ **As I said, you will be renewed."**_

 _Overwriting, huh? No penance, no guilty conscience. How convenient._

Boldly taking the Byakugan Princess' hand, he laid it on his chest, unflinchingly staring down at the pure white abyss of her Byakugan mirroring the shifting light and darkness of the sky above.

 _Do you also undo errors and the dreadful consequences? The people sent to the grave—do you get them to live again?_

A drop of rain fell at the tip of the Byakugan Princess' nose.

Not a moment too soon, Sasuke felt its deluge on his head, running down his nape. The sky overcast was the first taste of motionlessness, drab but steady after a seemingly long, long time.

"Sasuke-kun…"

A Shinobi is wary of rain. Scents come off;

"Sasuke-kun, you're there aren't you?"

Tracks get lost;

"This is _genjutsu_ , isn't it? But for some reason, I can't get out no matter how hard I tried."

Ill intentions are well-hidden in the rain.

"Can you make it stop?" her tremulous voice said. "That child… he's not really my baby. He can't be. He's not my baby… He's not Sasuke-kun's baby."

Still staring down the Byakugan Princess, Sasuke slowly let go of her hand and turned around.

Hinata was crouched on the ground, her head buried on her knees.

A heavy rain effectively conceals an ambush; while the good take shelter, the rogue with blood-stained limbs lave.

Also the beaten, the homeless, the abandoned. They have nothing to hide, but they don't have shelter either.

"I'm so confused... I'm not really going crazy, right? I… I remember."

About Sasuke's foot sprang a fresh green sprout, gradually growing tender leaves wriggling under the rain.

"It feels like a long, long time ago. Some distant memory. You didn't believe me when I said you're a good person. Like Naruto. I'm sorry if it ever came out to you like I was comparing you to him. That wasn't my intention. Because I was telling the truth."

Soon, the sprouts thickened, spreading about the whole rotten field and whitish buds started appearing with heads stalwart against the dwindling rain.

"Maybe it's because you are yourself so you can't see. But I can see. And I still remember hurting. I see the seeds in your heart. I saw them sprout, turning to kind words. And kisses. And thoughtfulness. I saw them turn plenty and they were like buds in my hand. But when you came back to me, they were cut off, and you were once again so distant. Even before, in the past. The seeds sprout and get cut every time, and you get hurt over and over again. Others don't see it because they don't look at you like I do. They don't see it because they don't love you like I do… Sasuke-kun is the only one who's mine."

Brand new sunshine peeked in between dark thick clouds.

"You are the only one who's mine but you are nowhere. I hate it. I hate it very much… Please make it stop."

The white lilies started to wake, freely blossoming.

" ** _You won,"_** whispered the Byakugan Princess behind him. ** _"Or should I say Hinata won. In the first place, had she been someone who put the seal on you, I don't think she'd remember you at all._**

" ** _What do you think of this, Sasuke? A place you can always return to—is it hope or is it not? Is it a treasure worth holding on to or is it not?"_**

The sun fully rose, the skies cleared up. Butterflies started to appear fluttering about the warm meadow.

When Hinata lifted her face, they finally see eye to eye. Reality brought him back to their lavender-scented bedroom and in her crying eyes, he found her at last with her hand still on his heart. Curtains covered the windows and the sun beams of dawn were yet to filter through.

There he stayed half-kneeled as she broke to tears, hiding herself in the veil of her hair upon seeing him. Shame crawled greedy, thorny legs upon her face, and he had nothing, not his sword and fire and lightning, to stop its invasion.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" she went on, broken down.

Now ever clearer to Sasuke was the rift between them, as if light smashed through what set her apart from him. By his book, this was weakness. Tears don't serve justice. If she had thought he ought to test her, and by finding her guilty in the end, render her a liar, why was she so torn for him as well?

This wasn't strength that crushes boulders and splits the ground in half. This wasn't strength that breaks the bones and shoves rend bodies back to dust. But he felt its clandestine epidemic overtaking him at once. It weakened his knees and fisted his heart. It made him sentient to every pain curbed by hardening thought and feeling.

Watching Hinata's shoulders shudder, Sasuke feared should he put his arms around her she'd suffocate. Even her small toes were scrunched like stubbed cigarettes thrown on the side of the road in guilt and grief because she had become someone else's wife and acted her part. He didn't know how to make it stop. His wet foot squeaked as he shifted on the floor and brought himself down to his knees. Drops lingered on his hair and bringing himself down, slithering to her feet, he gently placed a kiss on her toe. Like licks of fire, he kissed her on the other foot leading to her ankle.

"S-Sasuke…" Hinata was asking him a question and hid her feet under the bed. He hid himself with them, placing soft kisses up her knees. He peeked through rained on fringes, watching her wonderment.

"I don't like making excuses but… it wasn't me. It was my Rinnegan but…" Her skirt felt fluid in between as his fingers ran a falling course. "To think that it would take an ancient person just to get me to this part…"

Resting his forehead on her knees, he said: "I'm sorry. For a lot of things."

He didn't know how to go on from there. The impetus to catch a hold of something too often ignored and just let himself be carried away by the atomic momentum, not knowing where it'll take him to break and bleed alone grew strong.

"I am not myself when I'm with you."

He fiddled with her toes to distract himself, feeling like he'd wet his pants hearing himself speak, the rawness of words let out from his own lips.

"I fail to understand a lot of things. Why do you take my filth when I have caused you nothing but trouble? I have hurt people and didn't feel a thing… Naruto, Sakura, many others. I killed my brother; I am not some example to follow or a hero you can look up to. Yet your eyes held no loathing. They never did. Not when you were forced to marry me. Not when you knew how I could hate… What did I do to deserve you?"

The intrusion of her warm hand on his cheek forced him to her eyes—how could they contain such expression, telling him he has nothing to lose? That he need not care which part to keep, which part to show, which part to save for later.

"You made it possible for someone like me to know the smallness of a child's hand; how easily their bones break. Because of you I tried hard to send men home to their wives, reunite parents with their children… And I've never felt so pretentious saying to myself that I felt their pain. But I did. And it scared me. Because I was blind to it all these time… Still you continued to love me when I found no reason why."

As though jumping on a cliff into the deep sea, without a word, she dove uncaring into him and pressed her nose on his neck. The crazed pounding of her heart invaded him until he could no longer discern which was his. As Hinata's heartbeat calmed, her breathing no longer frantic, there also came an understanding about his hand rubbing her back as she nestled on him.

This was the better righteous feeling.

"You… You were going, right?" she weakly said. "Lady Daidouji… When were you planning to depart?"

"About now… Hours ago. I don't know."

Removing her head perched on his shoulder, she eyed him, the mess that he had become, and slowly got up. "You should prepare. Don't make them wait… I'll get you a towel."

He stood as she did, held her wrist, and drowned himself in her hair. Because if she thought he'd choose mission over her, this is his answer:

"Don't let me go."

His other hand came around her swollen belly. He brought her lips to him as though fetching cool water with a hand and when he wet his lips, it burned softly instead. He kissed her cheeks, the tip of her nose, her eyes going to the forehead before once again, on her mouth where he drank like he'd never have enough. He felt for the thrumming of the bones in her throat and behind her collarbones which sunk as she gasped for more air, her hands reaching for him, snaking their way into his sodden hair. When he touched her breasts, circling the bold pebbles through the cotton fabric of her nightgown, her knees buckled.

"W-wait…" she whispered. He fitted their bodies more. The curves, the nooks and the crannies filled by his fingertips.

Sasuke tore away his cloak and reached for the hem of her skirt, drawing it up as he kissed his way back to her shoulder. She stopped the ascent of his hands just before reaching her hips.

"N-no…" She turned his face away from him, her hands desperately clasping his own. "D-don't."

Sasuke's heart sank to his stomach. "You… don't like me touching you?"

"I-it's not that…" Her grip weakened. Now looking at him, her shimmering eyes quivered, biting her lip out of nervous habit. Soft illumination from the draped windows enticed him to kiss her more, stain her face with deeper red, and hike his way up—thick cottony fabric… _A broad waistband?_

She squeaked and covered her face. Connecting the pieces from the laundry she worked with and the elastic band he was currently feeling with his thumb, lowering it further down the receding swell of her belly, he couldn't help muffle a singular laugh between her shoulders. His face heated up as well as the warmth from an unheeded source spread across inside his chest.

"You really owned my bureau."

Past the round curve of her hips, he let his briefs _on her_ fall to the floor. "And me…"

He kissed the hand covering her face, his fingers waiting for permission on the gossamer skin inside her thigh. "I still don't think I deserve this. There's a voice inside my head that says I shouldn't want too much. From you. That this can't last. That your life would've been so much better without me... But as long as you hold on to me, I can keep wanting this, right?"

She laced her arms around his neck. "Don't put me on a pedestal. Every hurtful word you direct to yourself, you say to me too. Every time you blame yourself, I am just as guilty... Because we're here now, living in this moment, sharing this between us."

In Hinata's eyes, he beheld his own eyes; they can never get away from it—shouldn't. The portion of the living.

As he peeled off her shell, she was a new illumined creature bearing scars of his likeness and he was, ever clearer than before, not his own but a former wayfarer, a pilgrim who finally reached his destination.

つづく


	33. XXIX

**_NOT A NEW CHAPTER (Mako Arc Conclusion)_**

* * *

But it couldn't be that _bad_ so Hinata would resort to what she did—sealing a man _—_ whatever it was that brought Hinata to sleep in her room the other night. Hanabi passed the hallway between the bedrooms going out to the kitchen and the dining room for the fourth time that night disturbed and snacks pilfering because, obviously, she hadn't had real food since eternity with her grandfather and her wrists had shrunk to half their circumference.

"So he's here?... He surely loves to make me wait, doesn't he?"

Heeding to the woman's voice in the dim hallway while munching on chocolate chip cookies, Hanabi found an infamous figure from Hi no Kuni's capital in all her red and golden robed glory standing in front of Hinata's door. Her fingers fiddled with a young boy's unruly hair. When his neck twisted to face Hanabi's direction, his black emotionless eyes almost unnerved her, pebbling the skin in her arms.

"Good evening, Lady Daidouji." Hanabi bowed, putting on her usual heiress demeanor after pocketing the cookies in her strawberry print pajama pants. Lady Daidouji merely raised a fine arched brow at her.

"This is a private quarters. Guests are—"

"Little shrimp, make yourself useful and see with those Byakugan of yours where the heck Uchiha Sasuke is."

Huffing surreptitiously, Hanabi reminded herself of the Five Thousand Virtues. It wasn't a worthy trade-off. She loathed being subjected to that more than the moniker.

"My apologies. But the Hyuuga upholds the sacredness of our _doujutsu._ Trifling concerns serve to extenuate its grand purpose," Hanabi replied, quite proud of her straight face, guilty as she was.

Loosely shrugging her shoulders, Lady Daidouji held to twist the door knob, the menace in her glare staining the air with rust.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you... Lady Daidouji."

"It's locked," pointed out Lady Daidouji. "Not that I can't do something about it."

"I don't know what your business is with my brother-in-law but even a _little shrimp_ like me knows not to intrude. Who knows what married people do inside their rooms? I don't wanna know. Do you?"

Sharply, the woman's expression turned from menacing to deadly as her red eyes turned white with a defined dark core, a grotesque twist of the Byakugan, and Hanabi felt her blood running weirdly inside her veins making her dizzy she had to lean against the wall.

"Stop! Don't—!" Hanabi gasped as the Lady twisted the silver knob with renewed determination.

The door flung open and out came Hinata, her cheeks flushed with hair slightly unkempt and eyes mildly swollen. Hanabi saw Sasuke sitting on the bed drying his hair before Hinata completely closed the door.

"Is there anything you need that we failed to provide, Lady Daidouji?" said Hinata.

Immediately, the servant girl Michiru appeared in the corner. And this is a trait of the Hyuuga household. Without using _doujutsu_ , people supposed to be sleeping pops out of nowhere and your location is always known. The cleaving of chakra signatures drew close around them—must be the guards—and this is a trait of the Hyuuga household as well.

Lady Daidouji's murderous eyes directed from Hinata to surveying unremarkable fish scale patterns on the surrounding wallpapers—or rather what could be behind them. She laughed, her crimson lips in a devious quirk.

" _Ara,_ spooking an unarmed guest… How dignified."

Hiashi walked in. "Lady Daidouji, why don't you stay longer until breakfast? Please, we can't possibly send you off in such a manner."

"Hiashi-dono, I don't appreciate this treatment. Maybe your household is yet to be acquainted with me. We don't want to go there, do we?"

"Pardon our excitable state. We recently had an unfortunate incident within the compound. The guards are keeping an ear to the ground. Come, join me for tea. I'll send some servants to bathe and feed your horses."

"May I remind you? I have drank tea after tea brewed by my husband's concubines, and yet here I am."

"Oh no, no." Hiashi's eyes crinkled to crescents as he smiled. "The Hyuuga have nothing to gain. Make yourself comfortable. Sasuke should be able to join you for breakfast. He was out in the rain and perhaps needed more rest. Your journey will be long."

Easing the tension around her shoulders, she gave Hinata a side glare at Hinata as she left the hallway and Hanabi found it easier to breath. The boy didn't follow Lady Daidouji butregarded Hinata with frozen dead eyes.

"What a she-devil," Hanabi remarked, her lips soured in disgust. "I don't know what's happening here but… is everything alright between you and Sasuke nii-san?"

Hinata blushed. "A-alright? Y-yes, a-alright… W-why would you ask?"

"That Ootsutsu—" There was nothing on Hinata's hands, not a smear or a smudge of a seal. Just the fast pulse on her neck, the sheer of her skin, and the heavily controlled breathing she was trying to stabilize. Had she been out and running? "Nothing. No reason… " she said as she passed by Hinata, idly wondering of the thick scent that had come off from her.

•••

Just as the slits between curtains shone and the boy, Hinata found, had spent the whole time in their bed with his eyes wide open, she figured it high time to bring him to the kitchen for breakfast. Rice balls won't be enough. But Kyouka hadn't come for him again and she wasn't sure what else he liked to eat.

The boy stopped to watch the birds whisking their wings and dipping their small beaks on a puddle. Hinata turned sharply, sensing someone.

Kyouka's white face stepped into the pale bluish light of the paper walls, her footsteps swift but silent as her robe swished. She pulled the boy by the wrist and brought him behind her defensively, glaring at Hinata, the bones on her neck and jawline constricted as though they hid blunt metal sculptures beneath. She fast lifted her arm, her palm angled preparing to hit.

"You didn't even blink," Kyouka tensely said, seeming as though she'd bite.

From her back, Hinata felt another presence. Kyouka's hand turned to a trembling fist. As the low light of the new morn dawned upon them through the partially opened sliding doors leading to the outer porch, Hinata was momentarily aware she faced someone new. Crimson lips now paired with misty eyes.

"You're greedy... Too greedy." Kyouka receded back into the shadowed portion of the corridor, tugging the boy along the hallway.

Sasuke appeared afterwards, blunting imaginary horns on his head against her right shoulder.

•••

His father-in-law had summoned a feast for breakfast. While Suigetsu was onto every dish, tearing roast duck legs and wolfing down a large serving of beef brisket, Karin preferred the egg rolls in smaller bites. She grinned catching him observing her and Sasuke stared down once again at the bottom of his teacup. Far right across him, Mako held a stare that flickered with tenacity for ruckus. He narrowed his eyes at her, rightly so, for withholding important information from him.

Probably sensing the tension, his intuitive father-in-law began asking Mako questions he didn't think she'd bother answer. She left the rice on her bowl barely scraped after excusing herself. But the clams on the side of the white zetsu boy's rice bowl didn't escape Sasuke's notice. Hinata didn't touch clams.

" _Why did you bring him in?"_

… " _Because… Because he…" Hinata nibbled on her lip. "He looks like you, doesn't he?"_

… _Sasuke gave her a weird look and raised the white briefs he picked from the floor. "Let's continue. I don't think I did enough. You're talking strange."_

… _Hinata covered the boy's eyes and ears, her face reddened to near passing out. "Y-You can't say that in front of a child!"_

… _"She was egging you on for the heck of it. Mako is nothing to me. She just helps me out."_

… _Sasuke dried his hair a bit more before hanging it to a nearby rack and sat in front of her on the bed._

… _"Frankly, I didn't know what to make of him at first when we found him afloat End River two years ago. Not even now." He pulled the boy to him and sat him on his lap. Lifting the boy's shirt up, he showed Hinata the dichotomy of complexion._

… _A smooth pale skin conjoined to a leather-like sleek piece of skin, veined like the surface of a leaf on half of his chest and stomach down._

… _"He had no identity, or memories, or people searching for him. I don't know how much of it is coincidental that a white zetsu had merged with a human body… I don't know how much of this boy is human or why he's still alive. But it makes me think of dead people… Dead Uchiha who tried to get their way back to life(1). And what I'm trying to figure out is if this boy was a redemptive deed of some sort."_

… _Hinata Byakugan-checked the boy's body with concern bordering fascination, tracing the skin on his back, the insides of his arm._

… _"Is he sick?"_

… _"Not that I know of... Mako's been to Orochimaru before she got here. Anything could've happened."_

… _"It seem that he frequently gets vaccinations... or blood transfusion."_

"Are you really coming or going back to bed?" Karin raised a brow at Sasuke still in a black shirt that covered his elbows and side-striped jersey pants as she pulled on the reigns to tighten its fit on the buckles, pushing the horses' nozzles down when they decidedly snorted loud on her hair.

"You dare!" she shouted at the horses while fondly stroking the top of their noses.

After checking on the wheels, Suigetsu stepped on the ledge at the back and hopped to the top of the carriage with ease. "Sasuke's a true grown up now. You can't tell him what to do—not that that ever happened."

"I'm not," verified Sasuke, directing his answer to Mako who had just come out from the gate immediately set a piercing gaze at Hinata beside him holding the white zetsu boy's hand.

Karin's mouth gaped. She stamped a foot in front of Sasuke and puffed her chest out. "Y-y-you were supposed to take charge going back! Then you'd hold the reigns—with me!"

"Sorry," said Sasuke, looking unflinchingly at Karin. And he meant it for many things as well.

Karin started to blush. A nervous tick crept on her cheek below red-rimmed glasses. She hurriedly climbed up the carriage top almost knocking Suigetsu down. "I knew I shouldn't have come!"

"I didn't think you'd be all talk," said Mako. "Saving the world? You can feed that to the dogs."

"Remember what you told me?" Sasuke interjected. "On that white lily field."

... " _I think I love you so much I'll trust you with my real name."_

… _Slowly, Kyouka pressed her thumbs around his throat. Tighter and harder as tears dulled the color of danger in her eyes. Her hands trembled._

… " _You hear me. I love you—why don't you die too? That's the pattern, isn't it? Over and over again. My babies. My home. My mother, my father—EVERYONE! IT'S ALWAYS THE SAME DAMN THING!" she screamed at his face. And her hands choking his neck slid off as she fell on her knees broken, no better than the flowers she trampled below her._

"I used to believe the same. Fearing the pain, I chose to embrace the darkness, seeking to destroy myself. But now I realize, even at the dimmest points of my life, I sought light no matter how small it was... or imagined. This time, I decided to keep my treasure and let them know they're highly valued."

"First you disappoint me. Then you're a bore. Talk when you're finally making sense." Mako strutted towards the carriage door.

The white zetsu boy tore away from Hinata and held Mako's bell-shaped sleeve. "Stay here all you want. You both like that mouse more than me," Mako ruthlessly told the boy.

"You've been keeping him alive," Sasuke blurted out. "Shared your blood with him. Your blood manipulation jutsu on a dying body."

She breathed out a laugh. "Good imagination. But you know me. That's impossible. Something as bothersome as that."

"For Kyouka, perhaps. But Mako isn't really dead… You also lied about letting Orochimaru examine him. I saw it."

She grabbed the knob and briskly pulled. "Why would I let him near that creep? I'm keeping him alive because of you. Because you'll come back for him..." As she placed a foot on the metal step, the boy clung even more, shaking her arm, tolling.

"I can't stay by your side..." said Sasuke, comfortably pushing his hands into his pockets. "I can't stay by your side but I think it's a treasure if the ones you save could be grateful towards you. It's something I never had."

The boy's stagnant mouth quivered, searching beady eyes now filled with tears. Mako lifted the boy to stand on the chamber floor with careful movements to save her robes from touching damp gravel on the road. The boy wept quietly his arms stiff on his sides and as though finding a pitiful thing smaller that he was, patted Mako's face.

"If Otsutsuki Mako isn't really dead," she began, inflection noticeably subdued and comparably modest. "Would you want to truly meet her?"

"If I have time," Sasuke replied, watching her back. Her shoulders slightly quaked, all eyes fixed at her as she took a moment to breath.

"Would you have saved her?"

"If I happened to be passing by."

"Would you have..." She turned silent.

Mako gave another laugh—forced—and without facing Sasuke, asked: "What about the enemy? Are they merely playing around so they'd wait before attacking?"

"The most fearsome enemy is right here"—Sasuke pointed at his head—"and here"—his heart.

Hinata lowered her head, back bending in an obtuse angle forward, her voice firm in spite of Mako dismissively proceeding inside and slamming the door shut: "Thank you very much for coming this far."

Neither Sasuke nor Hinata spoke until the gallops faded to mere memory of sound.

"That boy sees Lady Daidouji as his real mother," she said.

"Mako… Her real name is Mako."

Hinata fitted their hands so the space between her thinner fingers stretched around his. He must've done something good.

"Thank you, Sasuke. For saving me."

He laid his other hand on top of her and rubbed a thumb on her forehead. She was tiny. "I wasn't talking about you…"

He kissed her on the road for no reason. The guards watched them with necks stiff straight under the roof of their stations.

つづく

* * *

Dokufuku Mochiin Corner! 田

(1) Referring to Madara and Obito


	34. XXX

_**NOT A NEW CHAPTER; (FLGW Conclusion) Edited**_

* * *

He'd catch her in the mornings as though reading his details eagerly line by line while he slept. He'd ask what the matter was because he sensed melancholy behind her fixation. She'd say she's happy this was the reality she woke up to. He'd rather she'd be rid of guilt, forget the _genjutsu_ ever happened, but it never made conversation since as though chaining doors in silent mutual agreement at the back of their minds.

That week, unspoken between them but they each knew and remembered, was the day. One year. Sasuke didn't know how to go about it. He'd heard stories from the chatters of women and their expectations. And the more he dawdled shaving in front of the mirror, he realized a chasm had been drilling its way into him—where were the strategies and the tactics when he needed them? She walked right into the bathroom with the ease of cream sliding on razor, held his wrists and with glee, told him happy anniversary.

And she wanted to see the flowers.

Secretly, he found it fulfilling. There had been more blooming than he intended at first. He also thought he'd rather she never knew that he did. All the thousands. He imagined he'd rather be at the forefront of an army, his body a cushion for arrows or a log chopped for firewood and burned to ash by campers.

But it wasn't so bad.

She smiled and the flowers looked more beautiful because she gazed at them. From the first bulb to a whole field, this moment had been his sole motivation. Not for her sake alone but for himself, having found the smallest grain of hope within because he wanted this for her. Not revenge or hate. Or using darkness to stave off itself. Hinata and the flowers had been the smallest portion of anything but that.

"They say the murkier the waters, the more beautiful the lotus flower becomes. Do you believe it?" she asked, examining his lotus plant.

A soft iridescent ray spiked from the glass of her lilac irises. They bore heat and coolness into him, saw through him. And it wasn't so bad.

"If you say so, then it's true."

She giggled. "It's the first time I'm told that... I like it, I guess." She swung her hair over to one shoulder showing the velvet skin of her neck. Her pinkish ankles were smooth and shapely, years of rigid training lose their destructive mark at the delicate bone on the back of her feet.

"I think it's wanting for more room to grow… The bud is weakening." Hinata tried to stand and he helped her up. Just because. Also, lavenders, he noted, smelled different intermingled with morning breeze and the scent of white lilies. "It should grow stronger if you put it in a bigger container than the bed pan."

He nodded. "I agree. But in the future, I'll place it in a pond… That was Itachi's and mine," he said, just because he thought she should know. "And the cups and the kettle were from our old house."

She kissed his cheek and let it linger. "Let's visit a lot of people today. Even the ones we don't know… Help me pick a lot of flowers?"

* * *

Yamanaka Inoichi, he knew. Nara. Kusakabe, Tamaguchi, Chiaki. Even sons and daughters or perhaps distant relatives of barn owners who contributed to the growth of the lilies. The librarian's surname from back in the academy. Long forgotten classmates, eyes and the color of skins rushing back to him, the clamour of their noises and jealous stares and playing beetles instead of honing skills. On the loneliest corner in the far left, probably the person whom the woman who never missed a day waiting for her son to come home from the Fourth Great Shinobi War in the village's main north gate, looked forward to meeting.

He knew about Konoha more than he liked to admit. Things that broke his sanity and now engravings on cold, unresponsive stones. Itachi protected this village also at the cost of gravestones.

He watched her from a distance. She unclasped her hands and opened her eyes.

"What did you pray for?" he asked.

Hyuuga Neji. He also laid a flower next to the white lily Hinata had placed.

"To never forget," she said. "He was… the brother that I killed."

Sasuke knew that hadn't been the case. But he understood. The venom stings the gut all the same.

"I would never want him out of my mind. In that regard, Sasuke-kun, we're more alike than you wanted to admit. Maybe also in the way that we think. What would mere flowers do? He won't even see them. Many times I've come here asking and dreading… How about Sasuke-kun? Have you reached an answer?"

He listened in on the wind. On the last note that lingered from her question.

"No. There isn't one," he answered with all honesty. "Only that as long as I… _we_ continue searching, we'll eventually reach somewhere."

"Lately I've been thinking. I've already sewn _him_ some clothes. And the crib shouldn't be a problem. But I've been thinking about the world I want him to live in. Then my thoughts fare to what was world they would've wanted their loved ones to live in. Even with my limitations, I want to go forward carrying such thoughts as my guide."

Closing in, he murmured into her hair, "Naruto would've said something similar had he been as eloquent. Still, I like listening to you more. Because you're pretty. And you smell good."

"Sasuke-kun… Are you trying to woo me? So you like pretty girls? Weren't you told not to judge people based on how they look?"

Distant words looped back to memory:

… " _I've told you before. You shouldn't judge people base on appearance and your preconceptions. (1)"_

"Hn." His lips twisted risibly.

* * *

He couldn't remember the last time he visited. Weeds covered the baker aunt's gravestone. Thick vines draped the shoe tailors' name but he recognized it for the first and last syllables showing barely readable. Shisui's in a slightly higher mound because Itachi had taken effort. His mother's favorite vegetable vendor, fresh greens all the time he remembered her say in glee, had fissured. Risking a peek at Hinata searching names row by row, he felt ashamed of the family cemetery's state. He invited a girl home to introduce without cleaning the house first. His parents would've scolded him for the lack of tact.

The white flowers laid before each gravestone sprang up their faces with might to surpass the weeds.

"Fukgaku-san, Mikoto-san… otou-san, okaa-san, please receive us." She bowed.

Her voice rippled across. It was the stalest, dreariest place on earth so he couldn't explain the butterflies. But it could be termites as they turned more numerous, frantically building porous structures out of his gooey stomach.

" _A-ano,_ I'm Hyuuga Hinata, daughter of Hyuuga Hiashi. We haven't met before but I've been married to Sasuke for a year now. The two of us are living happily."

Sasuke looked at her, conflicted because he caused her a lot of tears. She interlaced their fingers and pulled him closer, back into his body where his spirit had temporarily parted.

"We are also having a baby. I promise I will always do my best taking care of the new addition to the Uchiha clan. A-also S-Sasuke-kun, of course…" An endearing blush swiftly colored her cheeks.

She tiptoed and leaned to whisper to him. "You should say something, too."

"Did you see them?" What they went through? He didn't specify any further.

She didn't give an immediate answer. He followed her gaze overlooking the gravestones.

"I only saw your lack of them. I knew what kind of people they were. They loved you very much. Because I saw you. You loved them more than your life in return."

He couldn't take his eyes off of her. Had she been there right from the beginning...

 _Had she..._

No. It wouldn't be the same. It wouldn't be this. He'd be a different man.

And in that life, he won't know if he'd be quite as overwhelmed. Or as thoughtless and understood.

As belonging to someone other than himself.

"Thank you," he said.

Little did Uchiha Hinata know, she'd be trapped with her back flat against the old stump of a nearby maple tree that used to fiercely dye red from root to the top like the Uchiha bloodline limit during autumn. He had kicked the trunk, lashed and slashed at it, hours of misdirected energy _._ The red sap oozed out many times until he merely passed by, ignored the outgrowth of unruly bushes and liberated thorny grasses. The tree was a witness to a lot of things.

Even now, to her falling, his knee the only stoppage between her legs.

"I'll be careful…" he said.

Hinata's hands previously clutched tight over the chest buttons of her dress now prodded his scalp awake. He licked hungrily, swooping straight to the base of her neck.

"I want to do you _hard_."

Whatever that meant.

But with the pain in his crotch, there was no space for coherence or meaning.

The electric fan wasn't switched on. They didn't bother. The windows were sealed, glass misting from heat.

 **[Warning: EXPLICIT. Skip to end]**

He was hard. Concrete. He wondered if this was for the longest time he denied himself and held back. Blood drained from his head, his arms, misdirected to a creature that grew increasingly bold fighting for being, slipping in and out, sandwiched on the meeting of her thighs. Fans of her lashes met as another struggled breath escaped her bruised lips. The sheen of her quivering leg muscles further enticed. He kept _slipping_. His creature bathed in her warm essence baked in the heat. And her smell. Fermentation bubbled at the back of his throat.

An invisible claw thrashed to climb up, hollowed him out, eating his abdomen and testicles. His kneecaps burned. He poked at the opening. She whimpered. He picked up the pace slipping in and out of her, his fingers tweaking her hardened nipple. He briefly sucked, straining his spine in an acrobatic act. No milk, he found. If he sucked harder, there might. Just a dew of her taste on his tongue. Her hair stuck to her wet neck moving in short breaths, and her listless gaze wandered emptily to the front. He wondered if he had been doing the same thing for hours and she was bored. Bullets of sweat raced down the sides of his face, his pelvis slapping against her bottom. Her brows crumpled as he poked once again at her opening and intentionally missed.

The invisible claw invaded further and twisted his insides, ripping his brain.

Her stomach laid on her side bobbed a little, waved side to side. He wondered if _he_ knew. He wanted to just stab deep—the base to the base of her—but then he thought: no, he's not doing anything _bad_ to _his_ mother if the wriggling was any indication of query; deep to the fiery womb of _his_ mother, a wet kind of fire that wrangled him good and tight, clenching around him as he watched her scream. At the scrumptious memory, the persistent claw painfully scraped away his innards and his locked elbows threatened to collapse.

Looking down at her through hazy vision, the flawless piece of her shoulder flesh enticed him to bite. Like a beast without thought, he salivated as his teeth sunk deeper into her lavender flesh. She winced in pain. Not good. Thread of spit dripped on the strands of her hair as he loosened his hungry maw.

"S-Sasuke…" Hinata moaned. Go? Stop? Wait?

His creature raged berserk for having to stay nestled between her thighs always made to miss the goal. He held her leg up spreading her wide enough so he'd see her parting glisten. Back and forth, he bulldozed. Like his mother's knife slicing meat. With his little fingers, he stretched wide open the cut belly of the fish. He saw the liver, the folds of the gut, the intricacies of the flesh unexplored. And then he'll thrust his tongue in! "Hinata… Hinata…" He sucked her earlobe instead.

Her twitching belly reminded him of the overburdened beehive hanging above the fortress he was going to show Itachi made from blankets stashed away from their parents' room. Bees are territorial. You could tell from their buzzing, his father said so. He moved out so he never knew if they had been open for negotiation. Telepathically, Sasuke told _him_ the womb is his mother. Halfway there… just a bit more than the halfway is _his_ father's wife.

This was all so new. He knew his way around her body. But customary treatments now came with precautions; territorial treaties yet to be established.

"Please, please… Sasuke," she said catching her breath, "Put it in…"

She reached for his penis and guided him inside her. Quickly swallowed in, he almost exploded. Her delicious tightness dragged him further in. She wailed and dug her fingers into his hair. He ate her collarbones, her armpit, her neck, and the side of her face, his nose seeming to develop taste buds gobbling up her scent till there's nothing left.

Tears slipped from her eyes.

Sasuke stopped cautiously partway the halfway. He hasn't moved. Not yet.

"Am I… hurting you?"

"Don't stop…" she said. He eagerly obeyed and shifted his hips a bit. She panted. "Deep… Deeper."

Freedom burned and seared all of him. Alight, base to base, he tore through, encroaching borders past the treaties unfinished. A sob ripped her throat: pain, agony, he didn't know. Her melting soft silkiness restlessly wrung him out and it took all of him, his limbs shivering with the sensation of desert heat and a fatal wound, blood spilling out the gash, to settle for a very slow pace.

A thrust. Dizzier.

Gaining leverage, then swung.

He wandered. Another dimension.

Twice. Then—

 _Ah…_

Thrice and a half a—

The portal smoothly cruising him through different worlds.

— _Squelch—_

Painful rhythm. He's "it".

Four Konohagakure. Five _Kono… Six!_

Her lip bite winded, teeth deep on swollen red. She whimpered, straining her silence. A strangled sound. And when she opened her mouth, the sweet spice of her breath gushed to his face. Their tongues wrestled, choking from too much heat. He travelled a finger past her wet dark bush and rubbed her clitoris. Fast, fast, slow. A rhythmic dance. Tempo picked up. Her breath quickened. Her legs and hips jerked in strange contortions. Like a current, Hinata's cry as she arched her back shot through him and the creature was freed inside her, gagging out remnants of itself. In waves. Big waves and he merely stood letting the sea wash him away till he was sapped to the bone.

He returned. Sizzling crept down his toes. His mind tingled, left off somewhere, some dimension, in the heat of her portal.

Her belly morphed. Did he drown _him_? Was it defilement worthy of condemnation? He anxiously put a hand on the dangerous-looking bone jutting out. A small gout of chakra. She held his hand.

Her radiant face in repose looked ineffably serene and there was nothing to say.

Beneath his hand, Hinata's tummy molded another form, wriggling and jumping from place to place. He deduced an angry small person awaken from slumber knocking on the walls of noisy neighbors. As it glided smoothly, it was an eel growing a shark's dorsal fin and tail.

He watched her smile and giggle, her teeth showing for no reason, a smile for nobody in particular. This is a sight he'd always come back to. Her hair spilled all over the sheet and pillows damp with their fluids. Oxygen was running out. The hairs on his legs itched as the room turned to a musky oven. He could smell her, reminiscent of tree sap or an overripe fruit. His cock, still drunk from its out-of-body experience, began to stir awake.

 **[EXPLICIT. end]**

Soon as her belly was placid, he got up from bed, started the fan, and opened the windows. He just needed air. He gazed at the bamboo fence, at pebbles. At the fluffy clouds. Not her arms around him as she kissed a trail along his spine. He peered below. Rock past the point of no return.

"Remind me you need rest…" he said, fixing his gaze on the bamboo blades swaying carefree.

"It's still long until evening…" her lips fluttered on his back.

Hinata being herself, he could interpret it two ways: the first one being within the bounds of normal conversation, not between husband and wife being naked together, and the second will have her on fours, screaming his name. Sasuke groaned.

"There's a red mark on your back. Like a big kiss mark. Shaped like a flower." Hinata poked tentatively between his shoulder blades. "Does it hurt?

 _Yes. Wanting you more._

"It's the Byakugan Princess' Red Lotus seal."

* * *

 _A sucking sensation pulled at the skin of his back. He glared at the Byakugan Princess for her indiscretion, but she remained peaceful and unfazed._

… **"** _ **Your reward,"**_ _she said._ _ **"With this you'll be able to travel dimensions with more ease."**_

… " _Why go through all these? What's in it for you?"_

… _She looked far over his shoulder._ _ **"Everyone who knew me regarded my deeds with admiration. I was helping create a perfect world where everyone was free from pain. But my uncle, with great indignation, rejected my efforts and tasked himself to undo the White Lotus seal I've casted on people from village to village. You can only imagine my shame. But I didn't understand. This will existed, though without certainty, to make up for disgracing the Sage of Six Paths. Until my last breath, I had hoped to do something for him. About his pain which had always been for Indra. He had always sought to reconcile... You are, as always, still the spoiled son in the end."**_

 _... At the back of Sasuke's mind, her meaning puzzled him, but he didn't bother raise unnecessary questions._

… **"** _ **The two of us meeting is surely destined… I was given clarity and you were given what you needed."**_

… " _What's this thing that you placed on my back?"_

 _..._ _ **"The Sage of Six Paths once told me, it is important to be clear what your treasure is. The universe is vast, terrible at times. And because of its greatness, you will be easily lost. But your treasure in this world will anchor you…"**_ _She faced him one last time. Then she slowly faded, the veil of her presence thinning in the air._ _ **"Be clear what your treasure is, then cast the Red Lotus seal on an energy source. Choose carefully. My father's people had opted to culture his Tenseigan for this purpose. Your life just might depend on it. The seal is a bond with an energy source inseparable through dimensions."**_

 _The Byakugan Princess tried to reach for his face, and smiled as though to humor herself._

" _ **In a sense, like love, is it not?"**_

* * *

•••

* * *

" _Ne,_ Sakura-chan." Naruto slumped at the edge of the bed, rubbing his eyes. Sakura was combing her hair, looking at the vanity.

"We were supposed to go to the market early today!" She took a pause, intense green eyes bent on setting his blond hair on fire. Then frowned with tears threatening to fall. "Fresh snappers. I wanted fresh snappers. They're all gone now! What are we gonna eat for dinner, huh?"

Naruto looked into the distance at the back of Sakura's head reflected in her mirror. "I had the strangest dream. It's really strange… Sasuke kinda asked if we could eat ramen together. We even had sake afterwards… Then he hugged me for a long time. It was very warm."

Sakura blinked at him and with a blank expression, sat beside him. Naruto sniffed and vigorously rubbed his raw leaking eyes.

"... And he said thank you." He shouldn't be crying in front of his wife with alcohol reeking in his breath. She must be thinking he's such a sore loser right now. But he couldn't help it. It was too much. "He… He… I never…"

Sakura pried his arms apart. He couldn't look at her.

" _Finally_ , right?" She smiled and let him fall into her bosom's embrace. "I believed that really happened. He brought you home last evening."

Later, Sakura pointed out he had a huge blood clot on his back. In the shape of a flower.

* * *

Naruto grunted as he slurped on _somen._ "Man, he could've just told me! Kurama's been complaining a lot about the tickle of chakra escaping from him. As for me, it feels weird. I get shivers on my back like a ghost was passing by. Though it's nothing I couldn't get used to. I can definitely feel him somewhere."

Hinata hugged a circular tray as she sat with her guests. "Sasuke-kun was happy about the progress of his space-time _jutsu._ Since the time lag was no longer a problem, he said he'd attempt to open a portal synching with the space warps in Kaguya's Shrine and see what happens then. It's all thanks to Naruto-kun's chakra."

"What a wonderful smell," said Sakura. White lilies were in a vase in front of them.

"They're from Mako-sa… Kaguya's shrine. Sasuke gave the flowers through the portal." Hinata giggled. "It almost felt like I could step in with him."

Sakura's chopsticks paused halfway to her mouth. "Are you okay?"

Hinata nodded. "He told me he'd return for the Summer Festival so we could watch the fireworks together."

Sakura's expression brightened in recognition. "The Summer Festival is…"

"Yes. But I don't think he remembered when he said it."

"He never looked like he wanted to." Sakura stopped chewing, caught in thought.

"Remembered what?" asked Naruto, mouth full, and Sakura chopped him on the head.

"Men are fools. Even on things about themselves."

"Besides." With dust of pink in her cheeks, Hinata absently nursed the rim of the tray. "A Sasuke-kun adamant on accomplishing his mission is definitely cooler, I think."

つづく

* * *

Dokufuku Mochiin Corner! 田

(1) A canon quote by Itachi

Chichiue - father; formal as compared to the more casual otousan (like dad)

* * *

In _hanakotoba_ , the lotus flower means "far from the one he loves". It also has other associated meanings: purity, chastity, or divine birth.

Meanings are tied to the color as well. White denotes purity of the mind, calmness, serenity, and spiritual perfection. Red represents passion, compassion, and kindness.

In Hindu and Buddhist tradition, the lotus symbolizes spiritual enlightenment as the flower grows upward from the muddy waters to the direction of the light.

* * *

 **About the White Lotus Seal and the Red Lotus Seal:**

White Lotus Seal

A fuinjutsu created by the Byakugan Princess, it's a possession seal that enables her to connect consciousness with the sealed. In the process, she also gets to control seal, erase and overwrite memories making the person a new self.

Sasuke had unwittingly put Hinata's hand on his chest which activated the seal giving way to the Byakugan Princess. Byakugan Princess took control of Sasuke's mind and body, and used his Rinnegan to cast a powerful genjutsu on Hinata, placing her under the influence of an alternate reality. Afterwards, with Hinata and Sasuke's consciousness bridged together, the Byakugan Princess brought Sasuke to the alternate reality.

Red Lotus Seal

You might be reminded of Toneri's and his puppets. This seal has a lotus-shaped design denoting completeness or fullness, having a hole at the center to mean openness. While Sasuke can use Naruto's chakra, the reverse can also be done. This is the essence of the Sage of Six Path's "ninshu", the pioneering form of ninjutsu which Indra later developed.


	35. END

Days to Konoha's summer festival had crawled in a snail pace and he was yet to encounter concrete results.

Though that was bound to change.

Never the one to trust in luck, but some unseen stars must've lined up which made him stumble upon a peculiar rock jutting out the sand. The hollow sound as he jounced over, indicated a sizable structure beneath. With a fiery whirl towering the sky, Sasuke burned the red sand until glass crunched below his feet. He stabbed the rough glass and twisted the hilt of his sword. Lightning raged, sending massive crackles piercing the desert's calm. Sasuke perched on steady ground and glazed the perimeter to keep the surrounding sand from caving into the ancient structure emerged from the receding glass debris.

He took a tentative step on the vestibule's grand azurite floor. The air was noticeably cooler. Tall pillars entrenched by the dark entryway whistled low at the dry wind constantly astir. Shards of glass crunched as he dropped another step. He would have to explore further inside, but he doesn't raise expectations. Could be just another desolate point making his caution seem paranoid.

He took out a brush lined with ink and loosened a scroll against the pillar to label the place on his unfinished map. The monotony of sand dunes dearth of life left Sasuke wanting home. There couldn't be greater solitude. Given he'd figure out jumping in on another of Kaguya's dimension, it would be fortunate to come across as much as an insect's critter.

The multiple dimensions Kaguya created for herself with not a soul dwelling left room for more investigation. And unless he reaches the core dimension with which the mother of chakra was sealed, his ventures just might prove to be fruitless and inefficient—

Hostile presence flitted behind him, the swift force of attack stunning Sasuke. Chakra spiked out the Red Lotus seal like acidic fumes making his pores bleed and the attacker immediately pulled away.

"Interesting thing you got there on your back," said the stranger.

Sasuke whisked around. "Reveal yourself." He hadn't foresaw the seal's latent protection either saving him by the skin of his teeth.

A shadowed figure cast against the light stood by the edge of the glazed sand cliff. He descended floating feather-like on the vestibule's rim. The man had skin quite literally like alabaster and his activated Byakugan sublimated a cold killer's glint.

"Pleasantries. I've been observing you here and there. It's bizzare seeing a _scrub_ roaming around. Turns out you're snooping your nose where it doesn't belong." The man swatted out a fishing rod and the line lashed like a sentient whip. Sasuke darted to the building's interior and summoned Susanoo's arm to fend the onslaught of fishing hooks coming at him from multiple directions.

"You are not to go past that point," said the man. "I haven't received orders about you so let's not regret if I overdo."

Unheeded, the hooks penetrated past his shield and extracted purple chakra out his chest, disintegrating Susanoo's arm in one swoop. At once, all vitality left his body he struggled to keep upright, gripping his sore chest.

Doubled over, he spoke calmly: "You're an Ootsutsuki, aren't you?" Naruto's chakra from the seal gradually filled his veins.

The Ootsutsuki's eyes went wide with manic force, his teeth clenched, straining a grin.

"You seem intent on protecting something inside. Quite frankly, I was unknowing whether I'd find anything at all, but your vehemence just raised my interest." Sasuke turned to venture escape into one of the side chambers. The Ootsutsuki took displeasure and shot Chidori at him, zooming forward.

 _So that's how his power works._

With a fast jerk of his sword, Sasuke rechanneled the lighting chakra to his blade. Harsh dissonance pealed at the clash of their weapons. The Otsutsuki wore a proud grin. Red Rinnegan flashed from his Byakugan, taking Sasuke by surprise. Briskly swapping places with the praying stone figures carved on the sidewalls, Sasuke breezed past the long array of gigantic pillars to flicker inside the central inner chamber to which they led.

Several bigger horned statues with pedestals buried in sand were in front, and in the middle was a scroll on a dais, catching brightness from the ornate openings above the onion ceiling.

The Ootsutsuki casually strolled in as Sasuke took hold of the scroll.

"Let me tell you on friendly terms: leave. Take nothing from this place. You don't know what you're getting yourself into." The Ootsutsuki's white eyes held a sleuthing look, taunting, gauging. "That seal on your back is a harness, isn't it? Like a thread that connects you to some place you return to… Or are you?"

Keen awareness of light-years distance to home overwhelmed Sasuke. Retreating, he rushed to activate a portal and hopped in, taking off the mien of a tried Shinobi borne from years of dauntless confrontation with any foe in sight. Turning from a running stop, he directed more chakra to hasten closing the exit portal. A space warp formed therefrom, inextinguishable. Cold draft brushed his cheeks. On edge, he closely observed the cleft in space moving in a swirl like a poorly-stitched infected wound threatening to open up.

"You're here." Sasuke started at Mako's voice. A basket of vegetables was attached to her waist, looking uncannily domestic in a shirt and knee-length skirt. The boy she decidedly kept caught up to her coming out from the fog, tugging a bag of garden tools behind him.

"These warps are remnants of portals. More accurately, to produce this effect, these are spots of precedent space travels. That's how these space warps came to be. Do you know what this means?"

"What?" she warily asked when he moved closer just to stare at her.

"I was following somebody else's trail."

"Are you implying—?"

"I reckon you know something."

Mako's eyes narrowed, bearing offense. "I already told you everything I know, everything my clan had known, and this is how you reciprocate me? You're being too much."

Sasuke took one last glance at the black swirls floating mid-air and sheathed his steaming blade. "They could have been here even before we first came. We just didn't notice." He opened another portal not synched with the space warps.

"Going so soon?"

Sasuke determinedly stepped a foot in.

"We're having fresh salad," Mako casually offered. Since he continued on without even as much as a wave of the hand, he vaguely heard her say petulantly: "I'm charging tolls next time."

On the other side, he found the bed empty. A book was left open on the nightstand, pages flipped by the wind blowing from the window left open to get a slight breeze in.

He rushed outside to find dew still clung on her potted herbs, _their_ potted herbs—including his which she kindly took under her care. Checking the usual places, not in the attic or by the koi pond either. By and by, the drumming of his heart intensified. Not in the kitchen. He ran speedily to the elders' manor passing by Hisoka's tea room, the wrinkly old woman frostily catching a glimpse of him—not that he had concern to spare. He suddenly thought of the bathrooms and his sister-in-law's room, going back and forth, disturbing the stale Hyuuga household's late afternoon kind of peace, with servants folding laundry and sweeping the lawns.

"Where's Hinata?" He huffed. The servants looked at him as though he came home without a head.

* * *

Bright colored buntings and banners of reds and yellows were festooned all over the main town square; stationed street performers played sprightly music. Wearing a white cracked mask he had picked from the ground, Sasuke spied at her serving free food with other Hyuuga branch members in one of the gaudy stalls erected, shielded from her view with the scrum, sweat-soaked towel bands on their heads preparing for the festival, in a line up. Two frolicking young girls stopped in front of him raving over the choco cake Hinata _nee-san_ was giving out. The moment she held his gaze, doe-eyed, seconds long-drawn-out, he pulled back into the dim alley and hid himself for a tortuous stretch of time in a recess behind torn cardboards.

"Sasuke-kun…" A slice of cake with a small lit candle was held over her enlarged belly. Just as her back was fully turned from him, he covered her eyes with a hand and buried his nose on top of her head. She didn't complain when he reigned her in, squeezed her tight to his chest to absorb her warm, sober climate, and lay his troubled senses to rest.

"This is a holdup," he said, unwilling to emancipate. She opened her mouth to speak, but grinned instead.

"I'm sorry, robber-san. I didn't bring money, but I do have cake."

"I'll have something else then." He raised her chin, bringing their lips to alignment. Naruto's voice neared, loudly calling his name. He shortly snapped facing Naruto's direction.

"Welcome back!" Naruto's clone jumped in from the roof. "I didn't think I'd actually really find you here! We're now connected hip to hip!... Or should I say back to back!" He blithely laughed.

Sasuke removed the mask and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Yeah. I _appreciate_ your clone coming all the way here. You came with _perfect_ timing."

"I know right!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes at Naruto's enthusiastic response.

"By the way, Sasuke, got caught in big trouble? Loads of chakra had gone out from me I was thinking you were…"

Sasuke eyed Naruto meaningfully, subtly hinting Hinata.

"What are you… uh…"—finally catching Sasuke's drift—"Ah! That's impossible, right?! I must've just imagined things… hehe." Naruto's clone scratched the back of his head apologetically and popped to smoke.

"Sasuke-kun…" Hinata's smile had faded, unspoken concerned query evident in her voice. He casually asked about the cake which effectively brought back a gentle smile on her face.

"I made it. With lots of help, of course… Happy birthday."

Speechless, he tried to recall when the last time he celebrated was or anybody else's at all. "Why?" he asked.

Though mildly surprised at first, but with careful patience in her voice, she said: "I'm grateful that you're here. That you've continually remained strong and healthy, always doing your best living for the last twenty one years, and I finally get to spend it with you."

He bit a corner off the cavity-inducing rectangle. He'd eat her cake; he'd eat anything she offers—spongy and moist, lightly sweet tinged with bitterness. He licked the sides of his mouth and wiped with his fist, not admitting to feeling embarrassed.

"You should make a wish and then blow the candle," she said, holding up the small plate so he could do just that. The miniscule flame weakly burned the short wick. He didn't do wishes. He told her he'll grant one of hers instead.

* * *

Commerce uptown ceased to push past the brambled fields and wealds intended for training hotspots, and the century-old oaks defining the backwoods bordered the wildwood.

Back in their glory days, the lone forest trail made covert by a barrier _jutsu_ leading to the canyon was exclusively known only to Uchiha. Sasuke doubted that to be the case now since Konoha's ruin brought attention to the area for reforestation, though hectares of the secluded property remained exclusively Uchiha in papers. Apart from varied bird calls, there used to be whooshing, one with the wind overhead, where his father's men consisting the Uchiha police force stealthily moved freely across the groves without harnesses like red-eyed prowling monkeys, agile, strong, seeming capable of flight, that fed his childhood dreams of becoming one of them. This was where Itachi teased victory with hide-and-seek. Striated patterns in tree trunks now covered with moss from hyped-up archery practice (of a five-year-old trying to impress) on moving targets such as wild boars and deer.

Entering the end of the forest into the wide clearing, the sound of the grand falls issued from the nearby canyon turned louder. Hinata was distracted from her initial goal and went ahead the stony riverbank to soak her feet in the cool water. Nonchalantly, he took the opportunity to wash, eyes alert as a hawk's for anything untoward as she went further into the riverbed. She maybe a Hyuuga whose feet were intrinsically light and quick, but still—

"The water's very nice!" Hinata pulled her skirt higher, showing her thighs.

He'll never understand her sense of novelty when the same Naka no Kawa circulated the whole village, finding source where his cousin had fallen to his death. But her bare legs, luminesce against the green rocks rich with algae, reinvigorated hunter instinct. He took off his shirt next to his high collar blazer and she was suddenly quiet, staring at him squeeze his wash towel dry which he ran over his body to remove dust and the remains of scalding desert heat.

When Hinata had made her wish known, Sasuke surmised some future Hokage needing metal clamps solely intended for his mouth—there was nothing to show about the house. Strapped down to simple functionality, Sasuke only had sturdiness in mind: the pillars and cantilevers were choice cypress timber; the ceramic tiles for the dominant roof made by a master craftsman; and the foundation was laid deep and raised on a slope to fend for when the river reaches far during onslaught of typhoons. Dividers were yet to be placed, but he had in his mind mapped a place for the kitchen, the dining room, and the living room with a fireplace. Dust carpeted the floor, but Hinata insisted going in barefoot. And she seemed to marvel at things he'd never paid heed, convincing him there was more to the banal he built.

"I think you could see the border from here!" she said. "Maybe even the Tenchi Bridge! The Hidden Grass Village! Maybe as far as the Hidden Waterfalls Village!" Sunbeams showered her from the window in the bedroom upstairs that when she turned to him, his blood-pumping muscle skipped a beat seeing her unadulterated joy.

Sasuke masked his soaring ego with a laid-back smirk. "As expected of a _former_ Hyuuga. Only you can see the pleasure in that."

"It's almost as if this house guards a side of the village border. It's an important responsibility."

"We both know that isn't necessarily a good thing," he said. "It was selfish of me. I didn't even ask your opinion."

She went up to him and hugged his hand between her breasts. "I am certain this place is special to Sasuke-kun. That's why you chose to build here, isn't it?… But there's no room for the baby."

There was no excuse to be had for the lack of foresight. Because he simply hadn't considered the necessity of a baby's room nor what it was supposed to be like. From his previous myopic stance, a house was the next step freeing her from the clutches of her clan—a safe space for pretend marriage where eyes didn't pry. The reality of a child was unaccounted for. It didn't used to fit the picture. He had been hesitant to show her this because that all changed.

He started measuring dimensions on the wall adjacent their bedroom as Hinata dictated the features of the baby's room.

"Sakura-san gave birth two weeks ago. He was very cute," she said.

"Oh?" He sounded almost sarcastic. That Naruto was already a father failed to register his mind _._

"As for me… next month." Hinata chewed her lip.

He slid the measuring stick in one corner. "Are you scared?"

"Nervous, I suppose. But also very excited!"

Soon as she was downstairs, whatever whimsical spirit fell upon her, she began acting childish, skipping lightly he could only look at her stomach—what might fall from there. He played along her little chase around the entrances lacking the necessary sliding doors. He couldn't tell the woman to stop when the sound of her laugh set his gears running high as though in a free run till his lungs ache. She stopped orbiting so they were face to face with the wall in-between them and before she could breathe another word urging him to continue, he had her fastened to the wall, his mouth crashing hers.

Even if her tummy came between them as fate does often terribly on star-crossed lovers in sob stories written for maudlin women, beyond fiction, this is their better reality. Else they wouldn't be so occupied with each other as the long shadows of the setting sun settled upon their door-less future home in the middle of the forest, neighbors within half a mile radius either walking on four feet, building nests, or crawling up tree trunks and munching acorns.

"Do you suppose I could put the pond in the front?" he said.

Forever, at once, seemed so clear and simple.

"Pond?" She brought him down for another heated kiss.

"Lotus." He nibbled down her throat, kneading hands travelled down her back.

" _U-Un_ … Y-yes."

Hinata went on saying the pond in the Hyuuga compound wasn't as auspicious as it wasn't facing east unstrapping his cloak, impatient as he was reaching under her skirt.

"Otou-sama…"

"What about him?" Her cheeks turned ruddier, red dye distilled down her shoulders.

"He's… He dug a pond there to remove something so… it wasn't… _ah…_ as lucky, I guess."

"Wasn't as lucky in what sense?" Sasuke asked, enjoying the view of her creamy neck, her head tossed back, eyes shut.

She stirred, quietly asking more on a certain spot with the slight buck of her hip. "I… I think…." Her grip on his sleeves turned steadfast, resting her head on his shoulder. "I don't know… Sasuke-kun… Sasuke-kun…"

" _Aa_ ," he voiced to her calling his name. His strokes grew bolder. She was close.

She gasped, her red mouth blossomed forth.

" _Kimochii_ …"

As though caught red-handed with a bad deed she wiped his fingers with the hem of her skirt, legs still in their jelly state, and apologized. He would've missed it hadn't been his ears so attuned to every sound coming from her throat, setting his arms and loins on fire.

"What for? Say you feel good every time," his voice hinted a growl, needing her stripped down for him, but then the sound of dripping liquid was heard.

She pushed him away, fight burning in her palms plucking him out the lust cloud. A puddle formed at her feet.

"D-don't look! I-I-I…"—she covered her face, sounding like she was going to cry—"I-I _p-peed…_ "

"If I'm easily bothered by that then you've wasted too much on me. We've gone through a lot just so I could stay mere liability? I don't think so." Sasuke picked up his cloak to wrap around her waist. "Let's go."

Hinata's ear tips poked out her of hair, turning deep red. He fought the smile tugging on his lips as he pulled her gently by the wrist going out. After a few steps, she stopped and dug under her belly. Color drained from her face.

"Sasuke-kun… i-it's strange…" Her Byakugan activated and tears streamed down her face. "My water broke," she blankly said.

* * *

"If she didn't have the baby then onee-sama wouldn't have to suffer like this!" grumbled Hanabi, seated several benches from where Sasuke sat, her arms wrapped around her knees protecting herself. "They kept telling her get pregnant but in reality it's only to make her miserable!"

"Hanabi, you weren't exactly the sort who gave your mother ease in labor either," said Hiashi, Hanabi's complete opposite with his arms folded, calm and collected.

The teenage heiress sulked. "I won't really know about that now would I?"

Hiashi withheld censure, the corners of his mouth more pronounced turned down. "The least we can do is to be patient."

Sasuke hadn't known if he had been praying to Kami. His fingers began to hurt around the knuckles from being clasped too tightly, hearing her toss and writhe, groaning in pain behind the concrete wall, syncopating with his undulating breath.

It drove him mad when he ceased to hear anything; that somehow she'd stop. Hospitals have a direful pattern: The bite of cold tile floors mopped with heavy antiseptic, the spool of tangled hairs coiled around the bench leg, frozen prey caught in spider webs overhead wobbling on fluorescent tube corners. On his left, a haemorrhaging patient, a pallid man with irises shot upwards, was carted past. Just then a stretcher was being wheeled out the ward to his right by two nurses, the white blanket pulled up to the top of the head.

Unable to bear the anguish burning at the pit of his stomach, he tensely started out for the door that led to her but Hiashi stopped him. Worst was…

"My daughter is fighting hard right now. She had always faced her battles her own way. If she doesn't want you to see her pain, don't insist on it," Hiashi said.

He wasn't allowed in. By Hinata herself.

The hours languidly dripped. Losing count of the times he headed to the water dispenser, he place a plastic cup beneath the spile once again and pulled the knob up. Soon water overflowed. Naruto flipped the knob and patted him on the shoulder, giving an understanding look. Naruto wasn't supposed to be here had he not attempted to open a portal to get Hinata quickly to the hospital which she declined warning harm on the baby. Naruto's clone, then, had unexpectedly popped up sensing his trouble. As disturbing as the repercussions of this new stasis between them seemed in dozen other scenarios, Sasuke sent Naruto to inform Hinata's family they're headed to the hospital, who appeared at the moment, the better headed one, wits well put together. Sasuke handed him the cup, the surface giving a tender quake.

A shriek was heard. The next thing he knew, he was taking a hot shower and was changed into hospital pajamas.

They placed a wailing naked, wrinkly being on top of him. Like the twang of the sword as it hits the ground, sliding off from a weakened hold, its cry sounded awful; painful coming under the discomfort and instability he was thrust into. They pulled the blanket over him and the cries stopped. Sasuke couldn't forget that moment. _Never_ was he, in his life, the tranquilizer nor could he recount putting someone at ease. The nurses had said more tests will be required, but they have doubts concerning the baby's ability to see. Abnormal eyes, they said. Even for a Hyuuga. How could they even tell when its eye folds were glued? Skin peeling from head to toe, and how it breathes. Sasuke trembled from the core at the smallness of air passing through the very small mouth. They were chest to chest for heat, the heart terribly fast, the lungs expanding and deflating at an alarming rate. A nest of soft, thin hair grew on its purplish head, and its hands were clenched in relentless fists, yet they barely fit a pebble inside much less take an enemy down.

Bitter pity washed over Sasuke.

Because Hinata had collapsed from exhaustion after childbirth…

Because he found himself all alone having to hold the weight of a fearsomely tiny creature. His own father gone and his mother and his brother—they knew about babies. He didn't.

" _Ne, ne,_ Sasuke…" whispered Naruto, "What's his name?"

Sasuke hissed. Even just a minute movement of his toes might disturb the baby's sleep.

Naruto began speaking slowly in his best cinched volume. "I named my son Haruto. Haru meaning spring. Spring makes you think of sakura… And Haruto… sounds like my name… Cool, right?" he bragged. "What 'bout you?"

No retort came. Naming a human was… the thought was paralyzing.

* * *

Hinata's room was filled with familiar faces: her teammates and common friends with Naruto who used to be so wary of his presence.

After Hiashi took the baby with unbelievable ease from Sasuke's arms to Hinata, she cried thanking her father and everyone who came to visit. She softly caressed the small head and Sasuke found her formidable. The grace that overtook her exhausted form made known to him she had been here before, prepared and unafraid. _You couldn't wait to meet your father, did you?_ Hinata had cooed and the ladies Tenten and Ino burst out in giggles.

Father. Son. It still felt strange to his ears.

"Sasuke-kun, a name…" she asked, and made it a point to annouce it was also his birthday. He found himself awkwardly accepting greetings from people, bar his circumspect sister-in-law who straightforwardly suggested horrid, foreign names like Varshish and Lolibabiloo. To save his son from a name which justified blaming his parents for a lifetime's worth of misfortunes, and himself from losing face in front of Naruto who must've spent sleepless nights coming up with one,

"Ren." He gulped, his jaws clenched tight, the weight of finality bearing down on his shoulders.

"For lotus?" She smiled. "I like it."

She named him Rennosuke. Ren with a hint of Sasuke.

* * *

There wasn't fanfare and laughter or the beating of _taiko_ drums and lantern lit parades. Not even the sizzling and savory smells of _takoyaki_ fried in oil. He avoided enlivened celebrations, but this wasn't how Sasuke imagined their fireworks viewing would go. They spent the evening watching the night skies flash green to red, gold to blue and purple from a distance by the lonely hospital window, him holding the baby, and Hinata reading poems from his leather notebook. She had cleverly asked for another wish just because he was so taken by the sight of her feeding their son.

He stole a glance at her minute smiles, and when she'd flip a page without even batting an eyelash—must've been terrible. Innocence was truly bliss for Rennosuke who, after being filled with his mother's milk, peacefully went back to sleep. Once you're friends with a blabbermouth village idiot, he finally learned with resignation, but so sick of it, you allow yourself to embrace all humiliation life could ever offer.

" _In the gate of dread you dwell behind, pulling me right in as thread through needle's eye_ ," she read, now leaning on his back with an arm round his stomach. "Do you still feel the same?"

Such as strange conversation it was. His poems expressed outward incited arsonous tendency: tear away the bane from her hands and just let it burn, then make her forget. But nothing will take away his cool. "About you pulling me? Don't flatter yourself. In a tug-of-war, I'm sure to win by a huge margin."

She snorted good-humoredly, smothering his spine with tingles from her tickling nose.

" _Nnn._ About the first one," she said, abashed.

He took time to answer.

"Same goes wherever, I suppose," he said. "Not to mean I'm entrusting you fully in somebody else's hands, but Naruto's here. Your family's here. It makes a difference."

"Does it?"

Her ensuing silence, he sensed, concealed heavy undercurrents. "Do you regret letting me go? Do you dread it as well?"

She shook her head. The last of the fireworks died down and the dark bluish tint of the night was all that remained. She gave a short, tired laugh and told him he'd be their bed for the night, not saying another word after.

Rennosuke squirmed and his mitten covered hand jerked. His right eye tear open, then the other, peeking like a button on a buttonhole. They were silvery, the brightest star-like shine of a blade's cutting edge, glinting by the pointy tip. They pierced. Yet, he was tucked in his father's arm like a boquet of flowers, his scent far too gentle for words.

After a while, sensing Hinata was still awake, he wriggled her off and tossed his head to get her to go to bed.

"I'm so lucky," Hinata murmured sleepily.

"No Shinobi is lucky. Those who believe otherwise will find themselves in grave trouble."

She wrapped her arms around his neck. "That may be true. But I feel l am… Because you're my husband."

At Hinata's sure languid smile by his ear, he figured, by this time, she'll never run out of faculties to make his heart shudder, overshot and pained: fear, anxiety; mostly from the ecstasy. And he'll spend a lifetime discovering, over and over again, he'll never get used to it.

"I can tell by the way you're holding him, gazing at him, that you'll love him very much."

Somehow, what she said left him wondering.

"What can you tell when it's like this?" He looked straight at her.

She met his gaze, steadfast, the catch light's trail slow across the surface.

"I'm scared." Their foreheads bumped, her words let go upon his lips.

"Why?"

"Because I know if I'd ask you to stay, you'd do it."

She held the sides of his face and kissed him firmly.

"I'm scared because of what you're putting in my hands. When is the right time to tell you to stop? I don't know. You're the only one who can do what you do. I'm not taking that away from you. In exchange, please always remember there are now more people waiting every time… Needing you."

The baby's breath; a caress on the swell of her cheek, sailing aimless in the placid lake windows of her irreplaceable soul. This sanity, this sentience, he doesn't know how many more layers does it demand to shed; this unceasing germination refusing monotony, this eternal spring by their side.

He swore by the name of his mother and father, by Itachi. The future better be bright. He can't lose another one.

おわり

* * *

Dokufuki Mochiin Corner! 田

Thanks for the reviews during the last update MadEmpress, SilverKitsune2017-senpai, muzicaldove, Himesama17, Saamon-sama, dear guest too lazy to create an account (hahaha!), SasuHina Lover, Bexbludragon76, UchihaYumiko-chan, and emva9x.

Finally the ending! You might say 5k only? Way too short (I'm just assuming...) Well, I did my best. And look at the hearts and bookmarks! Look at those pretty swan necks! The DM from 1 year and 2 months ago would never be able to imagine this story reaching those figures! Thank you all!

I'll be posting a very short extra chapter (for readers like Bexbludragon76 and gabrielleannelle who like baby moments, I think xD) and then the epilogue. Please look forward to it.


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